Lettie mccarthy

Cllr. Lettie

McCARTHY BUDGET 2015 Towards Shared Prosperity Tax Relief for Low and Middle Income Earners Under Budget 2015, an extremely progressive tax package has been secured that focuses the relief on those who most need it - low and middle-income workers. Tax is being reduced for low and middle-income earners to ensure that those at work take home more and begin to benefit from the recovery. · The standard rate band of income tax has been widened by €1,000 to €33,800 to take 33,000 people out of the top rate · The marginal rate of tax has been cut by 1% for workers earning from €33,800 up to €70,000. · Cut in lower rates of USC from 2% to 1.5% and from 4% to 3.5% · A further 80,000 low paid workers are being taken out of USC with an increase in the entry point to €12,012 · For high earners over €70,000 the marginal rate remains unchanged.

BUDGET 2015: Building Social Recovery Supporting Families: €5 Extra on Child Benefit Many families have been under financial pressure over the past number of years. Budget 2015 will see an increase of €5 in Child Benefit, from €130 to €135 a month to help support children and raise living standards for families. 613,000 families will get this increase from January. The funding for the School Meals Programme is also to increase by €2million to €39 million in 2015.

25% Restoration of the Christmas Bonus Christmas can be a time of greater financial strain for families. Under Budget 2015, we have secured a Christmas bonus of 25% for all recipients of long-term social welfare payments, including pensioners, families with children and people with a disability. This payment will benefit over 1.16 million people.

€2.2 billion housing investment In Budget 2015, investment in the building of new family homes is a priority: · Over €2.2 billion has been allocated for housing provision for the next three years under an unprecedented multiannual plan. · In 2015 alone, over €800 million has been allocated for the housing programme - the first major investment in housing since 2009 and a 40% increase in spending on 2014 levels. · This dramatically increased investment will deliver 7,500 family homes in 2015 and a total of 40,000 family homes by 2020. · Spending on homelessness services will increase by over 20% to €55 million.

Cllr. Lettie McCarthy 086 8186718 @Lettiemccarthy

lmccarthy@cllr.dlrcoco.ie LettieMcCarthy?ref=hl

www.labour.ie/lettiemccarthy

BUDGET

Towards Shared Prosperity

Older People and People With A Disability Over €3 billion has been allocated to support older people and services for people with disabilities under Budget 2015. As well as the new €100 per year water support payment for the Household Benefits Package this includes:

Living Alone Allowance Increase The Living Alone Allowance will increase by €1.30 per week, bringing the rate up from €7.70 to €9.

This is the first increase in this payment since 1996, and will benefit over 177,000 people. This increase will provide for a greater level of income adequacy for both pensioners and people with disabilities living alone.

Seniors Alert Scheme €133m is being invested under Budget 2015 in Community programmes, including €46m for the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme. This includes funding for Seniors Alert, which supports the provision of monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence.

Cllr. Lettie McCarthy 086 8186718 lmccarthy@cllr.dlrcoco.ie www.labour.ie/lettiemccarthy @Lettiemccarthy LettieMcCarthy?ref=hl

Working with Alex White TD