Increase total tax take, says CORI

THE Government is being urged to raise the total tax take in the upcoming Budget and bring it closer to the EU average.

Ireland props up the bottom of the EU league on total tax take - and the CORI Justice Commission argues this is reflected in our below-standard infrastructure and social provision.

Urging a fairer level of taxation, it stresses it does not advocate that Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy pushes up income tax in the Budget next December. Its main argument is that the Government’s total tax taken should go up as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, which measures economic growth.