Warning against cutting child benefit in budget

COMMITTEES:SOCIAL JUSTICE Ireland has warned the Government against moves to cut, tax or means test child benefit in the budget.

The organisation’s director, Fr Seán Healy, appeared before the Oireachtas Jobs, Social Protection and Education Committee yesterday to outline the impact on low-income families of suggested budgetary measures outlined to date.

“Social Justice Ireland believes there is absolutely no justification whatsoever to reducing child benefit in any form, either by reducing it or taxing it or means-testing it or using vouchers,” Fr Healy said.

He understood the Government was in a difficulty, but Ireland was “one of the lowest total tax take countries in the western world”.

Among the revenue-raising measures proposed by Social Justice Ireland are a tax of one-third of a cent per text message, which the organisation has estimated could provide Government with an extra €40 million a year.

Fr Healy’s colleague Sr Brigid Reynolds said she thought any suggestion that the Government might provide vouchers in lieu of child benefit in an attempt to ensure the money was spent exclusively on children was “very degrading, especially of women”.

Fine Gael Senator Michael Mullins said he welcomed Social Justice Ireland’s proposal to increase the tax take from gambling. He claimed there was a “major flaw” in the proposal to introduce an income-contingent loan scheme for third-level students.