Many 'Left Out In The Cold' By Budget 2016 - FF

Many people will be "left out in the cold" by the Government's Budget 2016, Fianna Fáil TD for Laois, Sean Fleming, has said.

"The budget unveiled by the Government was uninspiring and failed to address some of the key issues that are impacting on our society today," Deputy Fleming said.

"The tax changes in this budget clearly benefit higher earners the most. The highest overall gain will be for people earning €70,000 as they will have an extra €900 in their pockets. On the other hand someone on €25,000 will gain just €227.

"It's baffling that the Government failed to deal with the housing crisis and left the rent supplement unchanged. This is despite the fact that we are in the midst of a housing crisis with more and more people at risk of becoming homeless.

"There is no house available to rent in Laois where the rent supplement will cover the weekly rent. This is a serious problem, especially when you consider there are over 1,700 on the housing waiting list in Laois. The failure to increase rent supplement puts more people at risk of becoming homeless.

"Our senior citizens are also disappointed with this budget. They were expecting an increase of €5 in the state pension per week, but they will only get a meagre €3.

"There are no proposals for parents who have children under the age of 3, and the Government has failed to address the affordability of childcare which remains a massive burden on families with young children.

"There are measures to be welcomed in this budget, but it's disappointing to see that the Government has missed the big picture. There was an opportunity to address some of the major issues affecting our society but the Government went with the easy options," concluded Deputy Fleming.

(MH/JP)