Budget 2021: Opposition to scrutinise health, tax and rural spend

Opposition parties are concerned about the proposals for health, tax and rural issues. Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty TD during the launch of Sinn Féin's Budget 2021 proposals at The Alex Hotel, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Opposition parties are preparing to scrutinise the government's budget priorities, with concerns already raised that not enough has been done for health, taxation and other areas.

Sinn Féin is concerned about cuts to the Covid social welfare payments, taxes on multinationals and high rents, with finance spokesman Pearse Doherty leading the charge. Speaking today, Mr Doherty slated Fianna Fáil's record on health and tax, stating now was the time to tax large multinationals.

"This is money that we really need as a state at this point in time," he said, adding that it is needed "to build extra capacity in the health system".

@LeoVaradkar you're embarrassing yourself.

This is a Key Recommendation of the Expert Review of Corporation Tax commissioned by Minister Noonan & carried out by the former chair of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council Seamus Coffey.

You can read it here: https://t.co/KkxFbiewXc https://t.co/QPOuxvKD5p

— Pearse Doherty (@PearseDoherty) October 11, 2020

"We need to build social and affordable and cost rental houses. This is the time that this €720m (in corporation tax) should be brought in," Mr Doherty said.

It's highly unlikely that such taxes increases will be included in the Budget 2021, though, with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar criticising the idea on social media. 

The Social Democrats have indicated one of their main areas of concern is around healthcare capacity.

Co-leader Catherine Murphy said: "It's the detail that really will spell it out.

"It looks like a VAT reduction for hospitality but if your doors are closed, you're not charging VAT anyway.

"We'd be prioritising health, ICU beds, we all know how exposed we are.

"Where there was prudence talked about in drafting previous budgets, it was hardly prudent not to invest in a way in ICU beds.

We have to survive the #Covid19 era but we also have to invest in ourselves so that we have a society & an economy that can revive and revive well.#SocDems launch their Alternative Budget 2021#SurvivalAndRevival#Budget2021 pic.twitter.com/TsDzTqXtBB

— Social Democrats (@SocDems) October 9, 2020

"Most of us will all give a little bit of leeway but there are things we should be doing right away."

Like Sinn Féin, People Before Profit will focus on multinationals and social welfare, but the party is also calling for "serious investment" in a ‘zero-Covid strategy’, including tracking and tracing, protecting workers, and investments in health and other public services and also creating and All-Ireland Covid Action Fund.

Aontú, who published their pre-budget submission today, is seeking a New Ireland Forum, which would help mitigate against "the worst excesses of Brexit, to fight Covid-19 on an All-Ireland Basis" and is expected to focus on the development of rural Ireland.