Religious propose tax increases

IRELAND cannot continue to demand infrastructure and services comparable with other EU countries without being prepared to endure a bigger tax take, the country’s religious have warned.

In a position paper prepared for the start of talks on a successor to the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF), the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) said there was a disparity between what society at large wanted and what it was willing to pay for.

CORI Justice Commission spokesman Fr Sean Healy said the average revenue from tax and social insurance contributions across EU member States amounted to 42% of Gross Domestic Product, the measure of goods and services produced, compared with just 34% in Ireland. He said the gap could be partially met by introducing new taxes such as an eco-tax on water, fuel and fertiliser consumption as well as waste production and other environmentally unfriendly practices.