The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Desmond Connell, has urged the Government to drop its controversial family tax plan, warning that it was unequal.
"I think there is an inequality involved in it," Dr Connell said yesterday, as he called on the Government to reverse the policy which would see two-income families earn £6,000 more than one-income families before being taxed at the top rate.
Dr Connell said he did not think it was the intention of the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, to be anti-family. He did not think it was his philosophy and it was certainly not the philosophy of Fianna Fail, he told RTE. "I would be full of hope that a better arrangement could be arrived at."
The proposals, unveiled in Wednesday's Budget, were designed to encourage women back into the workforce, but Dr Connell warned that economic considerations must never be allowed to predominate. This was one of the basic principle's of the social teaching of the Pope, he added.
"This does not mean that economic considerations are unimportant. I have spoken often enough and long enough during our bad times about the problem of unemployment and I consider economic considerations to be very important, but we must not allow them to predominate."
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, said during a visit to Dublin that women working at home were engaged in unpaid work, and were mostly the carers in society.
"It is a sign of the times in this state that some of the better proposals for improving the social conditions of people and to bring about sharing of wealth have come from Catholic bishops," he said.
Mr Adams said the Budget failed those most in need and fell far short of the vision required at this time. "At a time when the peace process is making such progress, we should be moving towards the creation of real equality and real social justice on this island," he said.
While it was expected that the Government would use the biggest Exchequer surplus in the history of the State to tackle inequality, Mr Adams said Budget 2000 had deepened the divisions between rich and poor.
He said he had no regrets at not taking up a ministry in the North. Looking to the future, he said he would be working to build up the party.