CORI: Working poor not helped

THE Government failed to maintain the momentum of the last three budgets in addressing poverty and social exclusion, the religious organisation CORI said yesterday.

While the proportion of the population at risk of poverty fell by 2.4% as a result of the budgets in 2005 and 2006 and would fall further as a result of last year’s budget, that momentum would not be maintained following Budget 2008.

CORI was disappointed that the Government did not address the working poor problem and said that a single person on €15,000 a year or two earners with an income of €30,000 gained nothing from the budget.