Blog Archive

Think again about the 'squeezed middle'

Nat O'Connor 15/01/2015

Nat O'Connor: Ireland's 'squeezed middle' has been defined by the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, as those earning between €32,800 and …

Case for a ‘Living Wage’ gets stronger

Cormac Staunton 15/12/2014

Cormac Staunton: The recent Behaviour & Attitudes survey on inequality has some striking and perhaps surprising findings. The first is striking: …

The Issue is Income Adequacy not the Price of Water

Nat O'Connor 01/11/2014

Nat O'Connor: If ten families on a hillside got together and built their own water supply, and had to pay to monitor and treat every litre to keep it …

Why Cash Matters (Budget 2015)

Nat O'Connor 15/10/2014

Nat O'Connor: As a follow-up to my pre-Budget post on proportions, we can now look at the results of the announced USC and income tax changes. There …

The Triple Benefit is Doubly Regressive

Cormac Staunton 15/10/2014

Cormac Staunton: In the immediate aftermath of the budget, there is much talk of whether the changes in income tax and USC were ‘progressive’ or …

Budget 2015 and Proportionality

Nat O'Connor 14/10/2014

Nat O'Connor: Without a doubt, some of the analysis of Budget 2015's income tax measures is going to focus on proportional change rather than …

Budget Rumours: An Equality Analysis

Nat O'Connor 13/10/2014

Nat O'Connor: Budget 2015 will be announced tomorrow, but there are enough rumours and unofficial announcements in this morning's headlines that some …

Deeply Misleading Irish Times Report of Budget Survey

Nat O'Connor 10/10/2014

Nat O'Connor: The Irish Times has given front-page headline coverage to the claim that "Voters want tax cuts over better public services" based on …

Hair of the Dog?

Nat O'Connor 09/10/2014

Nat O'Connor: If you read nothing else about the global forces that shape Ireland's economic future, you should read Michael O'Sullivan's essay in …

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