TASC to outline proposals for tackling Economic Inequality at Conference on 20 June

Media Advisory: Wednesday, 4 June 2014

TASC to outline proposals for tackling Economic Inequality at Conference on 20 June

Proposals to include reducing high level of tax reliefs, increasing tax credits and lowering VAT

Thomas Piketty to give keynote address with response from Central Bank Governor, Patrick Honohan

The progressive think-tank TASC (www.tasc.ie) – in conjunction with the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) – is to host a conference on The Challenge of Economic Inequality to Recovery and Wellbeing in Croke Park on 20 June next.

The opening speaker will be Nat O’Connor, Director, TASC, who will outline TASC’s suggestions for tackling economic inequality in Ireland, which will include proposals contained in a recent document, A Defence of Taxation (http://www.tasc.ie/publications/tasc-a-defence-of-taxation/):

• Reducing Ireland’s high level of tax reliefs – such as tax breaks on health insurance premiums and private pensions which come to almost €3.2 billion – which benefit higher earners and lead to cuts in public expenditure;
• Introducing a 48% tax band for those earning over €100,000 per annum;
• Increasing tax credits rather than changing the bands and lowering VAT by 1%;
• Amending the PRSI system so that low paid workers and their employers are not penalised for increasing wages.

Other speakers will include:

• Professor Gary Dymski, Leeds University, who will put forward 10 proposals to break the links between finance and inequality;
• Elissa Braunstein, Colorado State University, who will explain how giving the people on lower and middle incomes wage increases will benefit the wider economy;
• Tom McDonnell, Nevin Economic Research Institute, who will address how a Wealth Tax could be introduced into Ireland;
• Professor Ozlem Onaran, University of Greenwich, who will address how policies promoting equality can grow our economy.

The keynote address will be given by Thomas Piketty, Associate Chair, Paris School of Economics and author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century and Patrick Honohan, Governor of the Central Bank, will deliver the response to the keynote address.

Event: TASC/FEPS conference: The Challenge of Economic Inequality to Recovery and Wellbeing

Date: Friday, 20 June 2014

Time: 8.45am – 5.00pm

Venue: CrokePark Conference Centre, Dublin 1.

Website: www.tasc.ie

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Pat Montague, Montague Communications, 087-2549123