This government has reduced government funding to Tipperary Local authorities by over €20 million or 48% since it came to power in 2011.
The government and Minister Alan Kelly say we will get the same funding as last year, but this includes the proceeds of the property tax which the people of this county have paid themselves.
This means that the actual government contribution to this council will be even less than the very low level provided for this year.
As usual the local election promise of a 15% reduction in home tax was just pulling the wool over people’s eyes.
The extraction by the government of over €20 million per year out of the economy of county Tipperary is a huge factor in depressing the local economy. North and South Tipperary are in the highest regions of unemployment in Ireland according to official figures.
Now from 01 October, every time we fill the kettle we will be charged for water!
This will extract even more money from the local economy causing further depression and crucifying already hard pressed people. According to the Neven Economic Research Institute, the poorest 10% are paying a higher proportion of income in tax than the top 10%.
This is just double taxation.
We are already paying for water and other local services, through general taxation, direct and indirect. Now we are being forced to pay again through these charges for services which have been reduced by government cuts.
This money is being diverted to pay part of the €8 billion per year interest which recent governments have incurred through bailing out billionaire investors in bust banks.
Local property tax and water charges are devices to make the ordinary person pay for bailing out banks.
The top 10,000 income earners in this country have €595,000 per year each.
The government should take the money from these top earners and use it to abolish home and water taxes and stop attacking already hard pressed families.
The government is continually hitting lower and middle income families.
It was for all these reasons I supported the proposed 15% reduction in property tax along with Councillors Séamie Morris (SF), David Dunne (SF), David Doran (SF), Martin Browne (SF), Catherine Carey (SF), Jim Ryan (IND), Michael O’Meara (IND), Willie Kennedy (IND) and Micheal Lowry (IND)
The following Councillors blocked a reduction in the property tax Siobhan Ambrose ( FF ), Andy Moloney (IND), Fiona Bonfield (LAB), Jackie Cahill (FF), Joe Bourke (FG), Joe Hannigan (IND), Kieran Bourke (IND), Martin Lonergan (IND), Roger Kennedy (FF), Marie Murphy (FG), Micheal Anglim (FF), Louise McLoughlin (FG), Tom Wood (IND), Michael Murphy(FG), Richie Molloy (IND), Eddie O Meara (IND), Imelda Goldsboro (FF), Ger Darcy (FG), Hughie McGrath (IND), Phyll Bugler (FG), John Carroll (FF), Mattie Ryan (FF), John Hogan (FF), Michael Smith (FF), Seamus Hanifin(FF), Denis Leahy (IND), John Crosse (FG), Mary Hanna Hourigan (FG) , Michael Fitzgerald (FG).
Speaking in the Dáil Deputy Seamus Healy has called on Minister Alan Kelly T.D. to commence an emergency house building programme to tackle the housing crisis now affecting over 2,500 families in Tipperary and almost 90,000 families nationally.
2,546 families now languish on Tipperary County Councils housing waiting list and face years waiting for accommodation.
Successive Governments have abandoned families to the tender mercies of the private market and that has been an abject failure condemning families to homelessness and years of waiting for accommodation in substandard conditions.
As President Michael D. Higgins said recently “You can’t leave the provision of housing to a residual feature of the market place. We have done that and homelessness is a consequence of that”
The previous Fianna Fail/Green Party Government stopped building local authority houses and that failed policy has been continued by the current Fine Gael/Labour Party coalition.
Minister Alan Kelly T.D. must reverse that policy and commence an emergency house building programme to tackle the issue.
There are huge social and economic benefits to such a programme.
It would be self-financing. Thousands of building workers could be put back at work saving on social welfare payments and increasing exchequer income through PAYE returns. Significant savings would be made on the €350m per year paid to private landlords through rent supplement.
Such a programme would boost local economies and retail trade, create sustainable employment and provide good quality accommodation. Rental income to local authorities would also be significant.
An emergency house building programme would be a win, win situation for all concerned, it is a no brainer and Minister Kelly should grasp the initiative immediately.
Seamus Healy T.D.
087 2802199
23/09/14
Deputy Seamus Healy has told the Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister Leo Varadkar to keep their hands off the Emergency Department at South Tipperary General Hospital.
Cuts to services at South Tipperary General Hospital must not be allowed become a political football within Fine Gael between Taoiseach Kenny and Minister Varadkar.
A Document leaked from the HSE states that one of the measures which may be necessary due to budgetary cuts is the closure of several A&E services between 8 in the evening and 8 in the morning. These include the A&E service at South Tipperary General Hospital.
This would be completely unacceptable. It would amount to the effective denial of health services to those living outside the larger cities, a vicious form of discrimination. After dark, the nearest A&E services would be situated in Limerick, Cork and Waterford. Indeed the A&E service should also be restored to Nenagh General Hospital.
We have had enough health and hospital cuts, far too many in fact.
South Tipperary General Hospital Budget has been cut by almost 25% or €11million over the last few years and it has lost over 100 staff.
This year, 2014, has seen a further €1.7 million cut to the budget.
Over the same period, activity at the hospital and patient numbers has increased significantly and the hospital is operating at 120% capacity on an on-going basis.
The hospital has been put under severe pressure: staff are working above and beyond the call of duty and despite their best efforts are struggling to provide a safer service.
Deputy Healy has called on all Government Oireachtas Members in County Tipperary, Ministers, T.D.’s and Senators to ensure a full Accident and Emergency Department Service is maintained at South Tipperary General Hospital.
Workers & Unemployed Action 