Sinn Féin Describe Budget As 'Unfair'

Sinn Féin have criticised yesterday’s Budget announcements as "unfair", saying that it "gives more to those who have more and does nothing for already hard-pressed families and individuals."

The party leader Gerry Adams said that the Budget was an example of "the Government putting its own electoral ambitions before the interests of the people", claiming as a result of the Taoiseach would be four times better off than a married couple with an income of €35,000.

Mr Adams was addressing the Dáil this morning when he said: "Yesterday the Government had the opportunity to relieve the burden on long-suffering citizens. You had the ability to get rid of Water Charges and the Family Home Tax and to take the lowest-paid workers out of the tax net.

"You decided not to do this. Instead, you put your own conservative interests and your electoral ambitions before the interests of the people.

Mr Adams went on to say that the Budget "lacks ambition and vision".

"You don’t deal with the unemployment crisis, the housing crisis or the crisis in health. Half-a-million people have been forced to emigrate in the last eight years. There is a massive human cost to society, to communities and to families. You don’t deal with this," Mr Adams said to the Taoiseach.

Adding: "There is no fairness in your Budget. There isn’t even the pretence of dealing with citizens on the basis of equality."

(MH/IT)