Anti-austerity body unveils €15bn stimulus plan

A €15bn regeneration plan to combat unemployment and stimulate the economy has been unveiled by the social movement Claiming Our Future.

The nationwide body, set up in 2010 to combat the political culture of austerity, proposes the creation of thousands of jobs through a five-year investment programme financed in part from public, private and EU resources, and a wealth tax.

It advocates a substantial increase in taxes on Ireland’s richest residents, arguing there is scope for this as the country has the fourth-lowest tax take as a percentage of GDP in the EU.