How many people would be likely to have a pension that’s over €500,000?

What’s with labour suddenly having a big change of heart? It’s too late lads. You have well and truly blown your chances of an electorate ever trusting you again. Gilmore has to be the most disgusting little hypocrite in Ireland.

Envy taxes will do nothing but prevent people from funding for their own retirement, pushing them back onto the State. Begrudgery is not an economic policy.

Rodrigo- Enda is even smaller and creepier than Eammon!

All Public Service salaries which exceed one hundred thousand Euro per annum when combined with fixed sum or round sum expenses or allowances should be subject tax rates of sixty percent.

Ian , read the article again.

Let me guess, you don’t work in a semi-state earning over 100k?

There is a domicile levy to help prevent that.

Indeed. Vacuous populism has served Labour really well, hasn’t it?

About as well it has served FG i would imagine.

Support at election

FG: 36.1%
Labour: 19.4 %

Latest poll:
FG: 31%
Labour: 12%

Just less than 1 in 3 people still support FG, not a huge change from their GE support. Only 1 in 8 support now, down from almost 1 in 5, which is a significant change.

So no, I don’t think they’re quite as equitable as you think.

@norman – the levy would affect past and present pensions, as per the article.

They are on an equal footing in regard to the lies they told to get to the positions they occupy today,is that a better explaination of what i meant?

Ask yourself what will Enda’s and Eamon’s pensions be and you will have your answer.

Working on it H.!

Too little too late,bye bye Labour had high hopes but time to switch my vote again.

Kerry, I’m scared. I agree with you.

So am I Vincent. Very scared!!

Kerry – I have to add something to your complaint on the salary Keavney earns. His salary is not excessive by mid to top executive/skill level (depending on industry). I’m unsure how much they really net on perks and allowances as you mention so ill just focus on salary.

I dont earn anywhere near that figure, but I know a good number who earn similar figures and they work their arses off – work weekends, 16 hour days regularly and a lot of travel (and no flexitime or time off in lieu!).

Now I accept that most people in ordinary jobs cant fathom why someone “deserves” to earn those types of figures. But they have to ask themselves would they really sacrifice so much of their personal, family and recreation time to earn big figures. And secondly, have they the ability to earn those figures? If they do, why are they still doing what they do?

Mac here are the details of the perks and allowances for a TD.

Travel & accommodation allowance €12,000 (Dublin environs) to €35,000. Unvouched I believe.
Allowance for renting office €15,000 (unvouched) to €25,700 vouched
Secretarial assistant plus additional secretarial allowance €41,092 vouched or €8,88.17 unvouched plus an annual allowance of €11,591 vouched
Leinster Hse provides free telephone and postal facilities plus 1,250 pre-paid envelopes an month
€750 every 18 months to buy a mobile phone and car kit. This also includes insurance and installation costs
€8000 one off grant to set up an office outside Leinster Hse

Not a bad list of allowances and perks I think you will agree. I know a good few people who earn less then the basic salary of a TD and “enjoy” the same t & c you describe with the added pleasure of doing 7×24 on call.

Irish TD’s earn circa €20k more then our neighbours in the UK. They earn to much full stop,

Pensions are already taxed as income.

Peter’s veiws have a tendancy to p*** off core FG voters simples.

If only it was that simple. There are EU wide labour protection policies that would make that completely illegal unfortunately…

Charge the rich not the poor.

Class warfare by right-wingers creates widening gaps in Irish society. According to the OECD, we have the lowest pensions tax in western Europe. We also have the lowest income taxes in western Europe for high earners.

Do you mean like the gap between rich and poor that is on the increase in the last few years? That gap?

They pay 18% of the taxes: what proportion of the national wealth do they control?

I mean this as a genuine question, not as a dig. Can someone explain why there is a seemingly constant call for public and private sector to be in some way equalised on many issues but then not on something like pensions?

Personally, I think that pensions are something that should reflect the wage people have been on and therefore when wages are fair pensions are fair. I don’t think a pension should be about your industry but your job and it’s wage (and of course contributions). Maybe I’m missing something there though – I’ll admit to not having a lot of knowledge in the area.

This is not about top earners it’s about massive pensions given to civil servants, government minsters and bankers.
The Irish people should not have to pay for these, sorry but these people got us into this mess and expect Hugh payouts from the irish people.
they should be in prision for neglect at the very least.

Chris – It’s about all people on pensions above the proposed numbers. Perhaps those you have listed are the people most likely to be affected by the proposal but that doesn’t mean that it’s limited to those groups.

So only Enda can put forward suggestions like this?i wonder why he hasn’t though.

I suspect Enda

I suspect Enda understands the importance of Government coalition parties speaking with a single voice, particularly at times of great national uncertainty. As opposed to hedging your bets in an attempt to court populist ideas that are never, ever going to happen to garner voted for your own party.

So why is he so muted on the subject?

Maybe he thinks policies should be discussed in the cabinet room, not the newspapers.

But time magazine is OK Vincent ? Eh

#Ryan- Duh!!!!!!! Yes. It is. Promoting the Irish Republic internationally is not only a good thing, it is part of Enda Kenny’s job description. You know. What with him being the Taoiseach of the Irish Republic. How come the capacity to type kicks in with you before the capacity to think?

Never mind.

I have it here. Its safe. I have it stashed with Bertie’s communion money.