Sinn Féin TD slams Government decision to give “an €830 pay increase to people on €130,000”

"I don't think, in terms of a cost of living crisis, that that is what is needed at this very moment in the time."

A Sinn Féin TD has blasted the Government for increasing the amount of money available to those on the higher end of the wage scale in Ireland following yesterday's budget. Mairéad Farrell made the comments on RTÉ Radio One's Morning Ireland on Wednesday (28 September). "Well, I wouldn't have given an €830 pay increase to people on €130,000," Farrell said. "I don't think that's where society is at at the moment. I don't think, in terms of a cost of living crisis, that that is what is needed at this very moment in the time. "What we need to do is to have targeted measures at those people on middle and low incomes. That is what is needed at this moment in time. "We know that people's prices are increasing in terms of energy. They need that certainty, they need that support, they need that help. "That's what they needed from government yesterday and that is not what they saw." The €830 Farrell refers to is drawn from the estimated amount someone earning in excess of €40,000 will benefit from annually as a result to changes to the income tax bands announced in the Budget. The changes will see an increase the upper limit of the standard income tax rate band and apply to income over €40,000 (up from €36,800) for a single person. The overall Budget package stands at €11 billion; €6.9 billion allocated to Budget 2023, and €4.1 billion applying to emergency measures for the remainder of 2022. "I recognise these are significant figures," said Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe. "I also recognise the needs of people are significant." He also vowed to clamp down on energy providers raising costs if the European Union fails to implement a much-vaunted windfall tax. https://twitter.com/JOEdotie/status/1574798268520751109 "Ireland aims to be part of this EU-wide response to high energy prices," said Minister Donohoe. "If this is not possible, this Government will bring forward our own measures. "There are major challenges coming that we know will be difficult for the population," he later added. You can read a detailed breakdown of Budget 2023 here and details of a new rent tax credit valued at €500 per year and set to benefit approximately 400,000 people in Ireland here.