McDowell criticises `anti-family Budget'

Budget 2000 was "profoundly anti-family" and gave to those who needed it least, according to Labour's finance spokesman, Mr Derek McDowell. He criticised the social welfare package and said that apart from pensioners everyone on social welfare "will be less well off this time next year." The Dublin North Central TD said that both he and his wife worked, had good salaries, and because they had no children, stood to gain £2,444 from the Budget compared with a couple with children, who would gain only £997. "Somebody please explain the logic of that."

It could be argued that the increase in the PAYE credit gave an incentive to women to go out and work, he said. "But equally we could argue that the Minister is looking to actively discriminate against married couples who decided that one of them should stay at home to look after the children."

Mr McDowell said the Minister had failed to address childcare. Much of the childcare sector was in the black market. Direct payments should be given to parents irrespective of whether they chose to work. Mr McDowell said he believed in capital taxes because they were largely paid by people who could afford to pay. If he earned £20,000 a year and paid 46 per cent in tax, why should he be entitled to inherit a house worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and pay no tax.

The Minister "has torn the guts out of Capital Acquisitions Tax," he said. He had given more relief on CAT than he had been prepared to give people with disabilities.

"We are the first generation of Irish people to hold the destiny of our country in our own hands. By your failure to understand that, you have failed us all."