Lucrative universal social charge is here to stay, says finance minister

A temporary levy forced on workers at the beginning of the recession is here to stay, Finance Minister Michael Noonan has said, as he ruled out scrapping the Universal Social Charge.

But he angered workers even more last night when he said people on salaries of €70,000 were “not wealthy”.

His comments came as it emerged yesterday that the army were almost called in to protect the banks during the financial crisis.