What emigrants want from Budget 2017

As the Government puts the finishing touches on its proposals for Budget 2017, to be announced tomorrow, Irish people living abroad share what measures they would like to see included, which might make Ireland a more attractive place for them to move home to.

Reverse social welfare cuts

Sean Roberti, Luton, England
I moved to England nearly two years ago, and work full time in IT. I am in my mid-20s and my income is far more normal than €75,000. My rent is moderate, I live within walking distance of my job, and I would like to keep it that way. At my stage in life, I am planning my future and have many questions to consider.

How can I ensure my cost of living, including rent, remains moderate and stable? Which countries have resilient public finances that can withstand economic shocks? If I start a family, can I rely on the State to consistently provide properly-funded schools and universities with adequate services? Will the system of social protections work properly for people of all ages?

This budget will be the first in the history of the State with an input from both major parties, so it will say a lot about where Ireland is going. I want Michael Noonan to leave taxes for high earners as they are, because there are bigger problems to fix first.

I want them to start reversing the regressive social welfare cuts of recent years, in order to restore previously existing protections for the most vulnerable, who suffered hugely and disproportionately in the last five budgets. I am very interested to see what the difference is between the party that wanted to make Ireland “the best small country in the world in which to raise a family” and the one that so cynically declared it defended the social welfare system “against those who would have stripped it to the bone”.

Housing supply in urban areas is the biggest issue for me in Budget 2017. Most IT jobs are in urban centres such as Dublin and Cork, and I simply refuse to pay soaring rents or commute a long distance. It was frustrating to watch the Government in previous budgets consistently shy away from intervening in the market to ramp up supply. I have yet to be convinced the Government really thinks Ireland has a housing “emergency” and can easily imagine Irish rents continuing to spiral out of control in the years ahead. To show they are serious about getting it under control, they will have to put aside that ideological aversion to market intervention.

It is indefensible that there are long term vacant residential properties in urban areas where so many people want to live. Why not tax these empty dwellings to force their owners to make them available for rent?

I am perfectly fine with the State being a property developer and landlord. If the Government can find a way to ramp up housing construction and finance it outside fiscal constraints, for example using a new state commercial entity, they should go for it. The resulting building boom could quickly attract back many emigrants who left during the property crash.

Mary Mitchell-O'Connor's attitude to tax alarms me. She seems determined to repeat the mistakes of Fianna Fáil by hollowing out the tax base, leaving Ireland vulnerable in a downturn. It is reassuring that her views are not widely shared.

Temporary inducements are very unlikely to change my mind on which country to reside in. Instead, I want the assurance of a reasonable cost of living and a strong reliable state.

Abolish high ‘emigrant’ university fees

Michael Byron, Adelaide
We have been living in Adelaide as a family for over seven years now. Recently, my 19-year-old son returned to Dublin to attend university in UCD.

He has settled well in his first semester but we are struggling as a family to fund his fees, living expenses and bed and board.

He stays with his gran. Because we have been living outside Ireland for more than five years, he is not entitled to “free” fees. He pays European rates, which are about €7,000 annually. We are lucky that we persevered with his application for European rates as international rates - which we thought we would have to pay - could be three times that amount. He has no entitlement to any grants or financial assistance like he would if he lived in Ireland for the past few years. This upsets us greatly because, as Irish citizens, we believe we should be as entitled to assistance as any other Irish citizen, whether resident or not.

We should be encouraged to send our sons and daughters to Irish universities if that is what they want as individuals. A financial incentive to do so would be of value both to Ireland and its diaspora.

Provide relocation grants for returning emigrants

Sean Kinsella, returned from Poland
I have just returned to Ireland after five years living overseas; Australia first, and then Poland. I work in the Med-Tech sector, and returned as the position which I was offered was one which I could not turn down. I did some research before I moved back to Ireland, but it was only when it came to the actual move did I realise how expensive Ireland had become. I contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to see if they were going to implement something tangible from the 2015 Diaspora Policy, but I just got a standard 'Dear John' response.

There are a number of areas where returning emigrants could be helped:

1. Remove the need for completing a Habitual Residence Form for Universal Payments. Returning emigrants are Irish, they have a passport and a PPS number they shouldn’t have to prove their “Irishness” by completing a 30 page form asking for detailed accounts of your relationship to your own parents.

2. Provide tax breaks, grants or discounts for getting set up in Ireland (this is the most costly part of coming back), for things like flights, relocation costs, health insurance, car insurance, car purchase, rental accommodation, phone contracts, facilities (electricity, gas, water, TV), child care.

3. Assist parents in getting their children into the school where they want to send their child

4. Greater access to child care

An income tax break would definitely help, but I don’t think it would absolutely encourage everyone particularly from a city like Melbourne, where wages are higher but it is cheaper to live in than Dublin.

Make it easier to get a mortgage

Natasha Weyer-Brown, France
I have been living in France for more than 25 years. I will be retiring in about five years' time, and plan to move back to Ireland with my German spouse.

Housing is the biggest problem for returning emigrants. I am lucky in that my family home will be waiting for me, but for those who do not own property in Ireland, it is a real barrier. Many potential applicants for posts in various fields in Ireland do not apply because the salary is not enough to get them suitable accommodation.

Ten years ago I was unable to obtain a mortgage on the house in Ireland in order to buy out another sibling’s share, because I lived abroad. We need more flexibility.

Niamh Horan, Sydney
I am 29 and live in Sydney with my partner. We have been here for five years now and love it but have always had the draw to move back. We are saving for a mortgage and sending money home to Ireland once per month for nearly two years now. We know we want to take the plunge and move home but the question is when? A financial incentive from the Government would certainly feed into the decision. Packing up life here to go back is damn expensive. We would like to see new rules which would make it easier for us to get a mortgage as returned emigrants. We will have a deposit, but by the time we get jobs and wait to be made permanent, we will be set back a fair amount in the timeline to having a house. I'm not sure we will move home anytime soon without a proper incentive to do so.

Overhaul the insurance sector

Jamie Butler
I think an overhaul of the insurance sector would be a big plus for returning emigrants. If the insurance companies are not willing to reduce premiums then the Government needs to start subsidising. As a 30-year-old with 13 years of driving experience I cannot understand how insurance companies are not forced to recognise road experience and foreign no-claims bonuses. I have friends that have returned to Ireland and are paying up to €3,000 for third-party policies.

A first time buyers’ grant for returning emigrants would also be a great incentive.

Killian Murphy
I recently returned from six years abroad and best quote I received for car insurance was €1,950. I am 39, never had a claim, and have been driving for close to 20 years. Returning to this country, you should have something to ease this massive cost.