Category: Welfare


Tax Breaks

Nat O'Connor 04/12/2009

Nat O'Connor: TASC has estimated that tax breaks ('tax expenditure' to use the technical term) on personal income tax and corporation tax will cost …

New report shows over €8 out of every €10 of pensions tax relief goes to top earners

Gerard Hughes 25/11/2009

Gerry Hughes: In a series of reports on our pension system, TASC and the TCD Pension Policy Research Group have argued that the tax relief on pension …

The Procrustean bed of statistics

Michael Taft 12/11/2009

Michael Taft: In Greek mythology the rogue Procrustes had an iron bed in which guests were invited to rest on. He would then hold them down and, if …

Crises: Not 5 but 7

Slí Eile 14/10/2009

Slí Eile: The National Economic and Social Council (NESC) has recently published its Next Steps in Addressing Ireland’s Five-Part Crisis: …

French to measure happiness

14/09/2009

French President Nicolas Sarkozy today announced that France will implement new indicators of economic performance incorporating measures of …

'Principle of revenue neutrality' proves Government's lack of vision

Mary Murphy 11/09/2009

Mary Murphy: The average percentage of GDP spent on social protection in the EU-15 is 27.5% (Eurostat, 2007) . The Irish rate of 18.2% compares badly …

Placing citizenship centre-stage: Michael D's take on the debate and what's missing

22/08/2009

Michael D. Higgins' opinion piece in today's Irish Times is well worth a read, especially in view of recent debates here on social welfare, rent …

Social welfare debate: What it really boils down to

Michael Taft 20/08/2009

Michael Taft: Having previously shown that the claims that we have a comparatively ‘lavish’ social welfare system’ are clearly false and not …

Current pension tax reliefs inequitable and unsustainable

Gerard Hughes 19/08/2009

Gerard Hughes: Reading Paul O’Faherty’s opinion piece in the Irish Times on 29 July one would not suspect that it is the private pension system …

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Paul Sweeney

Paul Sweeney is former Chief Economist of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. He was a …

Vic Duggan

Vic Duggan is an independent consultant, economist and public policy specialist catering …

Sean McCabe

Sean holds an B.Sc in Applied Physics from Dublin City University and an M.Sc. in …



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