It’s just a shame that the government aren’t going to bring in measures to eliminate this payment altogether to the high earners in our society i.e. the ones who don’t actually need it. This would make the necessary savings for the government and prevent those who really need it from taking the hit. But that would constitute real reform which this government is not capable of delivering.

Direct from the FG manifesto

http://www.finegael2011.com/pdf/Fine%20Gael%20Manifesto%20low-res.pdf

Change must start at the top: The political system cannot ask others to change and make sacrifices if it is not prepared to do the same. Fine Gael will cut the size of the Oireachtas by one-third by abolishing the Seanad, if the public approve in constitutional referendum, and cutting the number of TDs by 20. In addition ministers’ salaries will be reduced, political expenses fully vouched for and severance payments for ministers axed. No political pensions will be paid to sitting TDs and no retired politician will get a political pension until the national retirement age. Politics must be about service to the public, not financial gain for politicians.

I have a pain in my hole with this country.

Two reforms are necessary to the system of child benefit. Firstly it needs to be means tested and secondly parents in receipt of same should have to furnish records to show it was spent to benefit children…..and not on booze, fags or lottery tickets !

This budget is more than likely going to be tough. Hopefully it will finally get more people out protesting and will lead to this government getting turfed out in to the gutter where they belong.

Ireland has to be the only country in the world with a so-called Labour Party that pursues right wing policies. Eamon Gilmore is a pathetic little man that has lied his way to power. I don’t know how he sleeps at night. The treacherous little mouthpiece deserves to be hanged for crimes against humanity.

The ‘Children First’ referendum was a clue as to how the budget would go. Children will be amongst the first group to suffer more cutbacks if these reports are true.

cb has been cut by 26 euros over the last 3 budgets, and the early childcare benefit was removed as well, before child benefit is cut again, things like subsidsed childcare needs to bring brought in, most people are spending this money not on luxuries for their kids but on food, clothing, mortgages, and childcare. I read somewhere recently that childcare is more costly than your average mortgage.
I can however soon see them capping the number of kids you can claim cb for like what england is attempting to bring in

The Government should lower down the price of Food and Lower down the price of fuel for our homes and then people would not have to depend on Child Benefit so much

Cutting child benefit across the board is wrong, this payment is directed at the child and if anyone thinks it is enough to feed and educate a child for a month they should try it !!! It will push people out of employment if they tax it as it would not be worthwhile for many parents to work if it is taken from them. If a TFA was brought in per head of household, the basic child allowence could be cut, social welfair for children could go up aswell as parents on family income supplement. This way those on most would benifit from the TFA, and those on least would recive a proper payment that will not discourage employment. As for people who say, you had them, you pay for them !! Someone has to pay your pension, and hospital care in the future! The children of today will be the ones paying back for the mess the country is in now, it is not their fault and we should be doing everything we can to help them on the path ahead of them. It is in all our intrest.

this is criminal! but there is no point in giving out about it we need to stand up and do something about it!!!

Strange that the children’s charities are now whining about child benefit being cut as if they had no idea this was coming when they participated in the softening up process for cutting it over the last few months. Instead of taking a clear stance of opposing cuts from the outset rather than supporting them ‘if’ the government does imaginary other things, like introduce free health/childcare and more education supports – which the charities should have known full well was never going to happen!

They also gave the government a massive propaganda boost on children’s issues by wholeheartedly supporting the children’s rights referendum without making the obvious point that rights on paper are meaningless without the resources to back them up. Had they used the opportunity afforded by the referendum to raise wider children’s rights issues, like protecting child benefit, it would have made it much harder for the government to cut child benefit yet again.

The reason the children’s rights charities don’t do this is because they are stacked full of government appointees, headed by political elites and overwhelmingly dependent on government funding so they are in basic ideological agreement with austerity and don’t want to rock the boat. Former Labour Party advisor and member, Fergus Finlay heads Barnardo on a salary of well over €100k a year, former FF Development Minister Peter Power, who helped get us into this mess, was recently appointed head of UNICEF and Jillian van Turnhout is indebted to FG, who gave her a nice little sinecure in the Senate.

in the build up to the referendum “children first” the government spouted now they want to put more pressure on already struggling families !! do they want to take more children into care or what ????????? bell enda and co get worse by the day

social protection???name change required,I don’t see that hag protecting anyone but herself and her cronies

Child benefit should be left alone for low income people. Surely the politicians can see that. If it was taxed at 20% as a benefit in kind for people paying taxes, it would be fairer. I have the old age pension and am effectively taxed on it, so why not children’s allowance.

No one wants to take money from people but there has to be fair balance. That is what I was trying to say. But everybody is fighting their own corner.

If you or anyone having children and can’t afford to well DON’T have them .

Child benefit isn’t there so people can pop out babies and rely on that payment to feed and cloth them.

Amazing people on here wanting to be shown what child benefit is spent on!! 99% of the time it goes on Bills that have been left over the month as they could not afford to pay them during the week and as for the 1% that spend it in themselves let social services do the job they are supposed to and help that family but as usual social services doesn’t have a clue on how to help families!

@Angela ,my 3 sons work and have no children they are lashed out of it every week with all the taxes they pay …but im proud to say they dont begrudge helping others and would never comment that they pay there taxes so its not to help people in poorer circumstances than themselfs.i suppose its all in the rearing ,and looking at some of the disgraceful comments on here id say you where all dragged up ,have a little compassion ,no one knows whats in store for them !!

It is unfair to cut child benefit especially when many family’s are struggling as it is to finance their children’s needs. Every euro counts.People may not agree but I think they could have looked at the bus pass. For example charge a one of fee per year of 100 euros for that they are getting to travel anywhere in Ireland that would not be much to ask in these difficult times. The paying passenger has to endure a hike in their fare from January. The money generated from this fee would bring in quite an amount of money to exchequer.Ten euros might seem small but for a family that is struggling it is a lot of money. That is ten euros per child so if you have three children that is 30 euros down. Where is the fairness in that.

Why not phase in a system like the French where child benefit is more than here but only covers 2 children then it stops so if you have 3 children the benefit is the same as if you have 2. It would take years but would reduce large families and in most cases the smaller families have a better chance in life. The Catholics might revolt but the kids would be better educated and better off.

A 7% cut in child benefit doesn’t seem to bad.

If its cuts across the board that’s needed I am in favour of taking more off pensioners at that age of there lives do they have mortgages or young kids to feed, politicians need a reality check there salaries and expenses are out of line with the rest of Europe, I hope this budget finally convinces people in this country to get up and protest rather than just continue to moan about it, people power has always brought down corrupt and incompetent governments.

Suffer little children who were born after the boom and can’t vote,If Joan Burton cuts the child benifit how can she turn up at mass on sunday.

A labour minister going after the children of ireland with reckless abandon,, if its not bad enough labour ministers destroying the parents of these children now its the childrens turn,, mr gilmore spineless gilmore I wonder how you sleep at night,,actually I wonder no more you can always go home to your wife with both of your combined 350k annual wages and you can both rest assured you or yours will never know the struggle and heartbreak of having nothing,, shame on you and all the TDs of the (fianna) labour party

Mortgage and debt repayments having a boycott on those two would make them listen and no one needs to march the streets just a message from the people to the elite that enough is enough

Scrap it alltogether

Please don’t not touch our child benefit. I know I need it as I have five children to provide for. I use my child benefit for their clothing etc for my children. Please don’t touch our child benefit!!!

cut. TD perks and salaries leaves the children alone . end of.

waiting for the arrows

@Stephen Church ……….if ppl have worked and paid taxes they most certainly are ENTITLED to get help ,you seem to sit on some lofty perch telling ppl they cant have Your tax money ,i have news for you ,we all pay taxes ,the poor more so as they pay indirect taxes on the food ,clothes etc they buy for there family ,so you are not keeping anyone ,as i said talk to your buddies in the Dail who are the real raiders of the country ,dont make yourself look any more thick than you have already,i know your always on here looking for reactions ,its time to grow up or ship out if you dont like it …im sure we will be fine without you !!!!!!!

So much for voting YES in the childrens rights referendum ….
So glad I voted NO ,
This government is a joke .They need to get out.
Noonan on RTE last night soft soaping us all ,the HHC even mentioned
on the news too and the reasons why this man decided why he was not paying it.
Don’t be fooled the children’s allowance is only the start , so far.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/532262_452393654795986_2053438241_n.jpg

Child benefit is not for rearing kids it’s a nomad really parents have kids and they surely knew though cost money …your kids you should pay for then and yes I get it for my kids but I realise if I want to get my kids something or I am responsible for the cost

@Stephen church yr bad news maybe you should join the illumanati for the beginning of the NWO .