FG: Iron chancellor reduced to Tin Man

The Minister for Finance Brian Cowen is not an Iron Chancellor, merely a Tin Man, Opposition parties said today.

Fine Gael’s deputy leader Richard Bruton ridiculed the Government’s Budget in the Dáil, insisting the economic wealth gathered over the last decade had been squandered.

And while Mr Cowen’s partners in the Green Party welcomed environmental measures, Fine Gael said the moves were too little too late.

Mr Bruton said measures on Stamp Duty would not be enough to address the high prices hindering first time buyers, or kickstart the stagnant housing market.

“While the minister talks smugly of a timely housing correction, he ignores the reality facing young families trying to find a suitable home,” said Mr Bruton.

“The Government presides over a dysfunctional housing market.”

Despite news of a rise in the State Pension, he added: “There is little to cheer about in this Budget for older people.

“Their entire pension for 2008 will be less than one third of the pay increase being taken by the Taoiseach.

“How will €212 stretch, when one-in-five pensioners already live in poverty and in the face of bread, milk, butter, eggs, cheese up 15% in the past 12 months.

“Gas, power and heating up in the past two years.”

He added: “The Iron Chancellor? More like the Tin Man.

“When you look for real achievements and real change you realise Minister Cowen is, in fact, hollow.”

Green Party leader and Environment Minister John Gormley welcomed what he said was the first budget in the State’s history to contain a strong green dimension.

“Budget 2008 shows that the Green Party can deliver in Government in co-operation with our coalition partners,” he said.

He welcomed new measures to start curbing carbon emissions through changes to vehicle registration tax and motor tax.

“It is a very good start – and one we intend to build upon during the coming four and a half years.”

Labour’s Roisin Shortall said the Budget did nothing to address child poverty.

“Our poorest children are now expected to live on just €24 per week, and this at a time when we have 96,000 children living in consistent poverty.

“Child benefit has increased, but at a rate that is below the rate of inflation, leaving families worse off.

“Welfare payments are to be increased by €12 a week, compared to the €20 increase the minister announced in his pre-election budget last year.

Sinn Féin spokesman on the economy Arthur Morgan said the minister spent months reducing expectations for the Budget.

“Since the summer, Minister for Finance Brian Cowen has been industriously beavering away to condition the public for a tight budget,” he said.

“He has been strenuously trying to dampen down expectations, created by his own party, with their unrealisable pre-election promises.

“The deceit on which the election was won is clear for all to see, as tax cutting proposals which were never viable, have had to be abandoned in the face of a €1.75bn shortfall in tax revenues.”