Retaining USC ‘right thing to do’ says Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty has conceded his party’s policy on the USC is not a vote-getter but insisted retaining the tax is the right thing to do.

Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil have made winding down the USC a central plank of their manifestos ahead of the general election on Friday.

“It may not get you as many votes as abolishing the USC, the type of reckless policies the others are promising, it may not be as headline grabbing, but it is the right thing to do,” Mr Doherty said.

He said the election involved choosing between giving €4 billion in cuts that would benefit the wealthiest in society or opting to invest that money in developing world-class public services.

“Everybody knows you can’t do both, the other parties know this.”

Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats have said they will retain the tax with some minor adjustments on the basis that the State cannot afford to lose the revenue.

Sinn Féin has pledged to remove people earning under €19,572 from the USC net.

Asked why Sinn Féin had chosen that figure, Mr Doherty said the party would increase the minimum wage by 50 cent in a year, so the new minimum wage would be €19,572 .

He said those earning above that would benefit from free GP visits and the abolition of water charges and property tax under Sinn Féin.

Third-level fees and prescription charges would also be abolished, he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Doherty insisted Sinn Féin’s position on the Special Criminal Court would not change, despite the latest Irish Times Ipsos/MRBI opinion poll finding a slight majority of party supporters favoured the retention of the court.

He said it was not a “red line issue” for the party, but Sinn Féin believed the court did not have a place in Irish society in the long-term future.

The sentencing of prominent republican Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy, of Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth, described by Mr Adams as a “good republican”, has been adjourned until Friday, February 26th - the day of the general election.

Mr Murphy was found guilty by the Special Criminal Court in December of failing to furnish tax returns for nearly a decade from 1996.

Mr Doherty said the issue of the Special Criminal Court was not being raised on the doorsteps during the election campaign.