The Green Party today promised to prioritise health, education, housing, child care, environmental protection and transport in its economic strategy ahead of the General Election.
Green Party Leader, Mr Trevor Sargent TD, accused the outgoing Government of creating "a legacy of vulnerability, inequality and unsustainability despite record tax revenues."
Mr Sargent said the Green Party's 'Spending within Limits' strategy aims to fund an "equitable and ecological programmes" to provide the infrastructure and public services similar to those found in other EU countries such as Germany, France and Finland where Greens are in Government.
The party said it would limit the rate of increase in both current and capital expenditure, to a 5 per cent real increase per annum.
This would result in an average €1 billion a year over current 2002 Budget estimates, or €5 billion during a full term of government.
A reduced reliance on income tax is sought by the party which seeks to exempt workers on minimum wage PAYE.
The major taxation and PRSI proposals outlined included:
- making unused tax credits refundable
- exempting minimum wage earners from the tax net
- introducing an introductory tax rate of 10% and intermediate rate of 33 per cent
- three per cent year-on-year indexation of tax bands and credits
- index linking social welfare payments to 50 per cent of average household incomes