Fine Gael’s vow to scrap USC ‘not achievable’, claims Micheál Martin

Fine Gael’s promise to scrap the hated Universal Social Charge (USC) is “not achievable” within the next five years, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has claimed.

Ministers will this week open discussions with their Fianna Fáil counterparts about the details of the budget, with both parties already at loggerheads over how the near-€1bn in fiscal space should be spent.

Speaking at the close of Fianna Fáil’s think-in in Carlow yesterday, Mr Martin raised questions about Fine Gael’s election promise to phase out USC for workers during the lifetime of the Dáil.