No punches pulled from Imelda Munster.
Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson for Tourism Imelda Munster TD has slammed the government’s staycation tax rebate plan, referring to it as “a con job”.
Munster comments refer to plans for the government to provide tax rebates for people who take holidays in Ireland from September onward, details of which leaked last week.
Munster claims this is excluding families who will be taking holidays at home during the summer period.
She said that if children are to return to school in September, which is currently the plan, a large number of families won’t be in a position to take holidays.
She went on to describe the government as “out of touch”, saying that very few people will be actually able to avail of the proposed plan .
In a statement released on Tuesday (21 July), Munster said: “Today we learned that the government’s plan is only valid from September. This is ridiculous as obviously families will be taking holidays in July and August.
“Children have been off school for six months this year, and we hope that they will be returning to school in September. Families won’t be in a position to take holidays then.
“This just shows how out of touch the government is – either that or they are deliberately introducing measures they know people won’t be able to avail of.
“The scheme is already problematic in that the tax rebate model will exclude those with less money to spend who need a cash incentive the most. Those who can already afford a holiday and intended to take one anyway will be getting rewarded for that under this plan.”
As well as criticising the government’s staycation rebate plan, Munster also took the opportunity to talk up Sinn Féin’s proposals, released last month, to give every adult in the country a €200 voucher and every child a €100 voucher in an effort to support domestic tourism.
The scheme would cost in the region of €860 million.
“Sinn Féin’s staycation voucher plan would give €200 to every adult and €100 to every child to ensure that everyone can avail of a helping hand to enjoy a holiday this year,” Munster added.
“The government’s plan is problematic in terms of who will benefit, and the latest reports suggest that very few people indeed will be able to avail of this plan.
“The government needs to rethink this. They should look at Sinn Féin’s plan for staycation vouchers. Our plan would put money directly into the pockets of people who would then put that money into tills across the state in order to give a much-needed boost to the sector.
“Our plan is simple, effective and fully costed.”
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