To say Ireland has the right idea: Budget 2023

[50percentNamaste50percentGoFuckYourself]

I watched agog at last weeks UK mini budget...an absolute travesty.

Today was Ireland's Budget 2023, which was much more impressive.
Hightlights include:

25% reduction in childcare fees
Extension of free GP care to cover half the country
Free contraception
Large reductions in third level fees (which were already a third of the UK)
Increases in lower tax bands
Increases in all social welfare payments
Double payment of child benefit
Electricity credits of 600€ per household
Reduced tax on fuels and energy costs
Increase rent tax credits
Funding for 10,000 new social homes
Increased third level grants
Removal hospital charges and free contraception extended

It's all concentrated on the cost of living, on making things easier for people on low and average wages, looking after those with less.

It's what a budget in these times should be

You may be agog OP at the UK budget and it's handling of it's economy, but it's difficult to accept too much comparison between Ireland and the UK when Ireland was bailed out by the EU only 12 years ago, a decent amount of cash coming from the UK courtesy of George Osborne as Tory Chancellor.

Ireland finished repaying the UK loan only last year, and now seems to me to be back on a a bit of a spending spree again. Hopefully they won't run out of cash again this time, as the EU is a bit short of bail out money at the moment and I there's a queue at its money tree, and of course no UK to put it's hand in its pocket next time.

It's actually looking more likely that the UK will be the ones begging at the doors of the IMF shortly. www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63051702

Btw the loan was repaid with interest. Ireland essentially bailed out the EU (with a gun to their heads).

Thats what the EU is for! Just one of many many reasons we are so happy to be in the EU.

Now the UK deperately needs a bailout and who can they go to?

Well the IMF is currently growling at them as there are fears that a UK crash could spiral a worldwide crash. We do of course have Oxford graduates at the helm now, so nothing to worry about. 😐

They have not doubled childrens allowance. They are giving everyone one double payment of Childrens allowance in November. One double payment. That's it.

Nobody said otherwise. It hasn't been childrens allowance for a long time though

We did put 2billion in a 'rainy day fund' in 2022 and are expected to put 4 billion aside in 2023. That is something that we can do because right now we have a surplus. If the UK is so concerned about EUs finances they should probs pay the 35billion plus that it owes us? Seems like the UK has nothing to pull out of its pocket, even to pay their debts.

The cost of living is much higher in Ireland.

You'd be hard pushed to find a rural property with no amenities for under a €1000 per month.

Food is expensive.

Bin collection is privatised therefore expensive.

Insurance is high.

Trade work anywhere in the country is top rate.

Childcare is non existence and expensive.

Years waiting lists for childcare providers.

Medical health care is the absolute pits costing €100 for a a&e visit.

Return to school costs are extortionate.

Yes they're trying to cover the cracks with their over generous budgets whilst they've been creaming it in for years.

Cost of living is a bit higher...wages are a lot higher.

Food is no more expensive that UK now

Bin collection is 26€ per month, hardly expensive

Childcare is far from non-existent, it's everywhere. It can be expensive but its coming down and there are a lot of subsidies available for low earners

Medical care: lots haev medical cards and costs are coming down

Why so negative? Ireland is a lot easier to live well than the UK, and so much easier to be poor. Working family payments are generous, housing benefits, medical cards, child benefit, subsidised childcare, etc etc....I've been poor in the UK and in Ireland and I know which was a million times better!

@LookItsMeAgain not all the country pay for gp care, those on medical cards don’t pay for gp visits . I thought it was a good budget tbh.
I’m in Ireland and can someone clarify who is the gp free to now?? We’ve always had to pay and pay for prescriptions. But on the plus side , I can get an appointment whenever and the drs give people lots of time as I have to hand over 60 euros at the end! I do wish it was free and would pay more in tax for gp visits to be free to everyone. And to a pp you can make a claim through tax but it’s literally pennies back like.

With all due respect, you are speaking out your hole op.

I am assuming you are a home owner?

Stop trying to romanticise Ireland. There are lots of good things, yes. But there are also incredibly shit things.

With absolutely no respect, I'm not.

I'm a renter, not a home owner. Like I said, its not perfect, but its miles better than the UK, and I see you offer nothing to counter that point?

There being shit things does not mean we can't talk about the good things.

How can you possibly think the housing situation isn’t dire if you rent?

There’s absolutely no way food prices are comparable to the uk either. Even now.

I don't think they have announced the new income limits yet? Basically it is your income with allowances for your rent/mortgage, various insurances, your travel costs to work etc.

You have to apply for a medical card and put in all your details and it will tell you if you are eligible for either a gp visit card or a medical card.

With a gp visit card you still have to pay for prescriptions up to the drugs payment scheme cut off.

@50percentNamaste50percentGoFuckYourself I’m in Ireland and in the 11 years I’ve been a parent childcare has been a total nightmare. 90 percent of plp I know have family support ( we have loads of family but they wouldn’t even do bbsitting in a blue moon not even one night a year when kids are in bed so childcare is definitely a no no)
There is one totally overprescribed crèche in our (not tiny ) town (all others closed down). Some completely unregulated childminders but even they are now full. The majority of childminders are unregulated in Ireland and it’s (like everything here ) who ya know or in some cases you don’t know them , they have no qualifications and no Garda vetting so not hugely encouraging tbh. Schools finish v early in primary with staggered times for juniors and higher classes . I’m just so glad my dcs are not preschoolers anymore. It’s difficult for both parents to work without family help in Ireland . Me and my dh manage it but it take a lot of swapping around and again thankfully our kids are getting older.
UK mumsnetters Irish teenagers are off secondary (drum roll plz) for 3 MONTHS!!
Overall I do love living here but there are certainly pros and cons , I do think there’s much higher living costs (car tax and insurance I believe are the highest in all of Europe as is our go visits).

*gp
The budget is certainly positive though particularly for middle income earner and higher who get hammered here tbh. We get nothing towards childcare , gp , dental , school costs etc so this will help.

Sorry meant to add that the 3 MONTHS is just the summer holidays for secondary here ..

I'm sorry for your troubles but I've been a parent for 22 years and have never had family help for any of my children, who have been in private nurseries and commnunity creches/pre school. My youngest is in before and afetr school care which is great and reasonable costing, and 2 new creches have opened in my town, in addition to the 5 or 6 in the town/nearby area already.

My youngest goes on the school bus and is collected at the creche and fed and does homework and plays and loves it. Teens are off for 3 months but they don't need childcare.

IT's different in different areas, you can't say childcare in Ireland is shit because it is in your town.

My bin collection is way more than 26 euros per month op

We have no water charges nor council charges and there is still two free childcare years available before they start school.

Also earlier in the year the school transport costs were scrapped for the year saving secondary school transport costs of 350euro per child on bus.

I didn't say it wasn't, I said that effort are being made to improve it, unlike in the UK. We have secure tenancies and much more social housing being built. What's wromg with looking at the positives while acknowledging the negatives?

Renting in Ireland might not be the best, but its miles ahead of the UK.

Shop around then, because that it what I pay. 306€ per year

I pay about what the OP does? I thought that was the norm?