Pensioners 'will lose €600 a year' thanks to Budget

Pensioners will see an annual fall in their income of €600 as a result of Budget 2010, CEO of the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament Máiréad Hayes said this evening.

Ms Hayes said pensioners' income had already fallen by 2% as a result of the withdrawal of the Christmas bonus. The new carbon tax and 50c-per-perscription charge are other levies which will hit the elderly hard, she said, and contribute to a reduction of €600 in annual income.

"The new carbon tax will impact on vulnerable pensioners...It is older people living alone, on low incomes, in older housing stock - which tends to be poorly insulated - that are currently struggling to heat their homes. It is these people that must be protected," she said.