| | FF Budget 2011 | What Labour says |
| Headline figures | €6bn adjustment | €6bn risks killing off the economy: €4.5bn is as much as country can handle. 50:50 cuts and revenue raising, incl. €960m in current spending cuts. |
| Tax | Tax credits (personal & employee) reduced by €360 Standard rate band cut by €3,600 Universal Charge applied to people on low pay No mention of tax exiles | 48% on single incomes over €100k Reduce personal tax credit by €250 €100m to be collected annually from tax exiles |
| Jobs | Reform of Business Expansion Scheme. Extension employers’ PRSI holiday to end 2011 10,000 internships; 5000 Community Employment places | €500m jobs fund to be re-invested in a jobs strategy & 60,000 education & training places/internships for unemployed people Extend employers’ PRSI holiday to 18 months for new employees who have been on the dole for 6mths+ Competitiveness measures like a 3 yr wage freeze; control of professional fees; reform of commercial leases |
| Public service pay/numbers | Salary cap of €250k All new entrants to take 10% pay cut Reduction of 7,000 employees this year. | €400m reduction in pay bill should be minimum target for 2011. Scope for reduction of 15-20,000 employees between 2011-2014; would include voluntary redundancies. Salary cap of 190k, incl. heads of semi-states |
| | FF budget 2011 | What Labour says |
| Welfare | Cut all welfare rates (except state pension) by €8 per week No increase in qualified child allowance. €10 Child Benefit cut for 1st two children; €20 for 3rd child; €10 for 4th child+ Tax credit for an incapacitated child cut by €360; Home carer tax credit cut by €90 | No change in headline welfare rates. No cut in child benefit. €100m target for fraud reduction. €65m in reform of rent supplement. €50m in misc. reforms |
| Pensioners | Age exemption limit for married pensioners cut by €4,000 New passport fees for pensioners | |
| Education | €500 increase in student registration charge for 1st child; €200 charge for PLC courses. 4% reduction in student grant; restriction of eligibility. School transport at 2nd level to go up to €350, €50 charge for primary pupils. 5% cut in school budgets – 200 pupil school loses €2,000 for day-to-day bills. €18m cut in National Educational Psychological Service; psychologist numbers frozen. ‘4 Year Plan’ includes cutting 1,200 teaching posts, the majority dealing with disadvantaged children. | Education budget protected. No increase in class sizes No increase in 3rd level charge; no €200 charge for post-Leaving Cert courses. €31m savings through admin savings; integrating senior traveller training; & reducing allocation to teacher training colleges. |
| | FF budget 2011 | What Labour says |
| Pensions | €116m saved through limited reform | Earmarked €400m saving through far-reaching reform, incl. - Capping level of tax relief on pension contributions - Reducing max tax-free lump sum - Reducing max pension fund - Including pension tax relief in the calculation of minimum effective tax rate of tax |
| Health | €727m cut in total €43m cut in childcare and youth services. Cuts in professional fees; what the state pays for drugs similar to ours | €391.8m savings that do not hit frontline services. Incl. 8% cut in fees for doctors, dentists, pharmacists; €200m savings through better use of generic drugs. |
| Politics | Cut Taoiseach by €14k Cut Ministers by €10k | Cut Taoiseach by €38k Cut Ministers by €32.5k Total saving from Oireachtas of €5m |
