Cost of Living

Supporting Families, Reforming Taxation and Supporting Businesses

The cost-of-living crisis is caused by two things: economic factors outside the Government’s control, such as inflation; and factors within the Government’s control, such as taxation. When pressed on how it will handle this crisis, the Government frequently points to things outside its control to absolve itself from responsibility.

The Government has ignored those factors within its control, because taking appropriate action can cause a short-term drop in popularity, even if it results in the country’s long-term success. Independent Ireland is more interested in long-term success than popularity, and our suite of proposals aims to alleviate pressure on families and businesses by reforming taxation and addressing government waste and overspend.

Key Policy Positions:

  • Abolish USC & PRSI contributions for pension-aged people who continue to work.

  • Increase tax relief for those contributing to private pensions.

  • Freeze all “green taxes” – review the effectiveness of the stated purpose and adjust accordingly. If they are not serving their stated purpose of reducing carbon impact, they are simply taxes, not green taxes

  • Reduce middle-class taxes by ensuring no one earning less than €50,000 per annum is affected by the highest marginal rate of taxation;