The general election campaign stepped up today with both Sinn Féin and the Socialist Party publishing their election manifestos, and Fine Gael outlining its fiscal policy.
This morning, Fine Gael deputy leader James Reilly said the party would seek the reinstatement of the €8.65 minimum wage if in government. This would be balanced out across the economy by exempting employers from paying PRSI on weekly wages of €356 or less.
Fianna Fáil deputy leader Mary Hanafin said the Government decided to reduce the minimum wage by €1 to make the economy more competitive and that employers agreed this was a good move. She said she understood this created difficulties for some people but said the decision would protect and create jobs.
Ms Hanafin also said she would accept a payment of €88,000 as an outgoing minister as the arrangement had been in place for many years. "If that’s the scheme that’s in operation, yes [I will keep the money]," she said on RTÉ Morning Ireland. "There is a very good argument for changing the scheme and I would be very happy to do that."
Fianna Fáil was due to release a report on its fiscal strategy this morning. However, it postponed the event due to the Cork airport crash.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and his finance spokesman, Michael Noonan, today published the party’s fiscal plans, which contains proposals for a cut in the VAT rate for labour intensive industries and a reduction in the carbon levy. However, it ruled out introducing a property tax in favour of raising revenue through cuts in capital acquisition tax thresholds.
Mr Noonan said the party was targeting 73 per cent of the deficit reduction through savings in spending and 27 per cent on new taxation measures. Party leader Enda Kenny said that it believed that by 2014 this would bring Ireland's deficit to 2.8 per cent of GDP.
Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan hit out at Fine Gael's fiscal policy, arguing it was "designed to help them campaign on all sides" of every issue. “Their only consistent fiscal policy is opportunism. Put simply, Fine Gael are trying to have it every way,” he said.
“Having lined up in the Dáil every day to attack the spending adjustments, which I implemented, today they have produced a document which accuses me of not having cut enough. This is not consistent nor is it honest.”
Mr Lenihan said Fine Gael is proposing over €1.2 billion extra in income tax revenue, while at the same time claiming to be against income tax increases. “What sort of confused thinking is that?”
Labour proposed the creation of a third-level scholarship scheme for the so-called Bric countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). The plan, designed to foster links with these emerging world powers, would cost €1.5 million a year and would be run by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Labour's director of elections Ruairi Quinn said the party was on course to win 40 seats in the Dáil.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin launched its election manifesto, which contains proposals to reduce ministerial salaries by 40 per cent and TDs' salaries by 20 per cent.
The party is also wants to replace the universal social charge with a 48 per cent tax on earnings over €100,000. The manifesto also commits the party to a referendum on Irish unity. On the issue of national debt, the party’s Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said Sinn Féin was committed to burning the bondholders.
The Socialist Party, which is headed by Dublin MEP Joe Higgins, launched its manifesto in the capital.
The party, which is running nine candidates in the general election under the United Left Alliance umbrella, said billions in funding being used to bail out the banks should instead be used to create jobs and to develop infrastructure.
Among the policies contained in the manifesto, it advocated tax on the "super-wealthy", an increase in corporation tax to up to 40 per cent, and a cap of €100,000 on public sector salaries.
Green Party leader John Gormley joined former junior minister Trevor Sargent canvassing in Swords, north Dublin today.
Nominations closed for the election yesterday with the number of independent candidates standing more than doubling compared to 2007. Fianna Fáil is nominating 30 fewer candidates than last time.
Fianna Fáil nominated 106 candidates in the 2007 general election but this time around the party is putting forward only 76 names, including that of Ceann Comhairle Seamus Kirk who is automatically re-elected.
With 165 vacancies in the 31st Dáil, Fianna Fáil is not putting forward enough candidates to achieve an overall majority. The party has been in government without a majority for most of the last 30 years.
Fine Gael is putting forward 104 contenders compared to 91 in the last general election and the Labour Party has also increased its candidate list from 50 to 68.
The fluidity of the political situation is reflected in the remarkable increase in Independent candidates, from 90 in 2007 up to 202 on this occasion, including supporters of parties which are not officially registered as yet.
A total of 470 candidates stood in 2007 and the number has now gone up to 567, thanks largely to the greater number of Independents.
Just 85 women are standing. This represents 15 per cent of the overall field of candidates.
The Green Party has 43 candidates, one fewer than in 2007. There are 41 Sinn Féin contenders, the same number as last time.
Among the smaller parties which are registered but were not part of the outgoing Dáil, the Workers’ Party is running six candidates, the United Left Alliance (combining three registered parties) is running 19 and Christian Solidarity is running eight.
Additional reporting: PA