State Pension(Contributory) Weekly rate (maximum)
Personal rate, aged 66 - 80 €223.30

I think that what is being realised is that this "means testing" hid the real goal which was "abolishing" medical cards for over 70's. Their original threshold was 201.50, meaning that EVERY pensioner in the country was automatically excluded. They hid behind the "millionaires over 70" argument. There is a "marked" income difference here. Even with the new threshold of 240 (god bless them) it means that if a pensioner who on top of a state pension has a private pension then they have to go through the ordeal of completing paperwork. The ones who then have a small private pension but who are ill and on medication would also have to go through this ordeal and probably have to pay in the meantime to get their medication and wait weeks, months maybe before it gets sorted...... Shame on this government to treat our aged like this. To single out the most vulnerable people in society instead of protecting them.
In times like this it seems that the people who are greedy, misguided, and basically incompetent are left to destroy this country while the ones with some integrity (Joe Behan) leave......

I particularly like the bit where they punish the ones who made the effort to get their own pension rather than relying on the state pension. Real class acts.

Agree.. When I first heard about this issue I was sure I heard somewhere (radio/TV) that it would be designed to hit the pensioners who were essentially millionaires - I know that they too have paid their dues but really if you have money in this country you're all right Jack...

What I cannot get over is the basic math of it - that no-one looked and realised that 201.50 was LESS then the lowest state pension.

Here's a tip for you Brians & Marys -

People in their 70s who live on €10,500 pa are not millionaires.

they area a divided bunch. Those who bought and those who havent yet.

We need to make it clear that this benefits FFs friends and nobody else. They are robbing our taxes and the taxes of those who have already bought and are under financial pressure.

We can put it this way:

Removed affordable housing full stop.
Temporarily, for a few years, increase mortgage interest relief.
Why dig out builders? Why not not those who have already bought?
Afterall the govt was advising and still are people to BUY!!

Of course Im opposed to interest relief and affordable housing schemes full stop.
Its a way of appealing to a wider audience

Garret FitzGerald in today's times mentions that Lenihan has omitted the "usual" 1.75 Bn contingency from the budget this year, does this effectively mean that we're actually 1.75 Bn worse off than even the dodgy budget number would have us believe?

Cowen delaying his trip to China until Tuesday. Expect big announcement tomorrow re Medical Card mess.

Exactly. Pension rate is going up to €230 a week due to budget.

I've pointed this out on boards also, this affects my own mother who is a working class person all her life. She gets the huge sum of €37 extra per week from a private pension so she is €27 over the new €240 limit.

Its been a cynical ploy by FF to get the poorer elderly off the medical card and by god the poorest who are affected by this need it most. Needless to say, my Mam marched down to Pat Carey's office to give his secretary an earful as he wasn't around. Alot of her friends did also.

Oh and my mother and her elderly friends also voted FF in the last election on the basis of €300 a week pensions promise and they feel angry, bitter and betrayed big time.

Willie jumps to the defense of the most vulnerable...

Actually, I agree with Willie O'Dea - "taxing the rich" could be a strategy for national bankruptcy.

Unjust taxation of wealth will lead to a collapse in tax revenues as the rich jump ship. Many will simply buy a pad in
UK and move tax residency and capital there.

The hypocrisy surrounding the budget debate is hard to take. Politicians need to say out loud that we have an inefficent,
bloated, overpaid public service which has to be cut back.
We must incentivise wealth-producers to stay here and get on with their business, not pack up and leave.

Whining teachers are the worst. 80% of the education budget is on teachers salaries. If they cared, they would
take a pay cut in order to maintain or reduce class size. Hypocrites.

I only take issue with you on the wealth tax. Why not tax all citizens on their worldwide income and wealth irrespective of their place of residence, as the Americans do (for income tax), with offsets for taxes paid locally based on double taxation agreements? We follow the crazy British tax domicile and residency system which seems designed to encourage tax avoidance.

If we operated a citizenship-based tax system with suitable safeguards against avoidance through renunciation of citizenship, then tax exile would really mean that. You could never ever return, unless you were willing to face the music.

Don't blame Willie. He tried to warn us before the election:



"Beware parties now making promises"

Agree 100%.

I prefer this one.