a better ireland

 

Create Jobs:  A public works programme can take thousands off the dole. We could employ people to insulate houses, develop our water infrastructure or develop sustainable energy. 

Health: Scrap the HSE bureaucracy. End the scandal of a two-tier health service. Create a National Health Service. End the hospital trolley scandal by opening up the 1,660 hospital beds, currently lying vacant.

Education: People need a chance to up-skill. Open up higher education through proper access courses. Scrap student fees. Reduce class sizes in primary and secondary schools and invest in proper infrastructure and support services

Social Welfare: Reverse the cuts to social welfare and the minimum wage. 

Housing: Bailout mortgage holders in negative equity. No repossessions. End waiting lists by opening up vacant NAMA properties.

Pensions: Create an alternative State Retirement Fund insurance scheme to provide defined benefit pensions.

No Water charges or Property taxes: All the main parties are committed to these double taxes – People Before Profit will campaign against them.

who pays?

Ireland is still a wealthy country
  • End the bailout of bondholders and banks – Create a viable public banking system.
  • Take the assets of NAMA developers into public ownership. Use NAMA properties to house those in need of accommodation and cut the annual €500 million rental income bill.
  • Impose a 5% wealth levy on the super-wealthy who still have an estimated €122 billion in wealth and assets.
  • Increase taxes on the top 37,000 people who are paid an average of €300,000 a year.
  • End tax loopholes for the very wealthy which costs up to €8 billion in lost revenue.
  • Take the Corrib Gas Field and our natural resources back into public ownership.
  • Introduce a salary cap of €100,000 for top civil servants, semi-state executives, judges. Abolish all junkets. Slash politicians pay, expenses and ministerial pensions.
  • No sell off of state assets. Instead use them to stimulate the economy. For every €1 billion invested by the state, 10,000 jobs are created and €60 million is saved on unemployment benefit.

Pledge

“TDs and ministers are paid far too much. If elected as a TD, I will only take the average industrial wage, the remainder will be donated to campaigns and organisations that put people and communities first”- Gino Kenny