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John Drennan: Dumb austerity will strangle State
The first Budget to be delivered by a Fine Gael minister in a quarter of a century was an eerie affair. One might have expected that after such a lacuna, the boutiques of rural Ireland would have been cleared of stock as the celebratory tribe prepared for their moment of triumph.
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Bravery needed, but Budget duo bottled it
In nine months, the Government got nothing right. Even the Budget was a failure. While Labour's Brendan Howlin was like Scrooge, Fine Gael's Michael Noonan was Father Christmas.
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Disability U-turn: Joan Burton in storm over €128k aide pay
JOAN Burton, who was forced into an embarrassing climbdown on disability payments yesterday, personally secured the largest salary above the Government's pay cap for a spin doctor.
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Accept change or lose €300m in pay, public sector warned
FINANCE Minister Michael Noonan has warned for the first time that public-sector workers could lose €300m a year in pay increases if they do not move to fill gaps in frontline services.
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More cuts loom after U-turn on disability
SOCIAL Protection Minister Joan Burton will have to find up to €7m in extra social welfare cutbacks after carrying out her first Budget U-turn yesterday.
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€60m hole found in Noonan's figures
FINANCE Minister Michael Noonan has massively miscalculated the amount of money the Government will make from the controversial €100 household charge, the Irish Independent has learned.
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Wily Noonan uses faint praise to point the finger at Burton
IT was a bad day yesterday for Social Protection Minister Joan Burton -- who found herself carrying out her first Budget U-turn.
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Mortgage interest relief may boost the market, but what does it mean for you?
AROUND 214,000 home-owners who bought during the boom are to benefit from a boost to the amount of tax relief they get on their mortgage repayments, with up to €2,000 a year in extra mortgage tax relief.
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Tax changes to spark revival of property prices
PROPERTY prices look set to stabilise and even increase in some sectors of the market following the Budget changes and the expected spur of a further 0.5pc cut in mortgage rates today.
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Your income calculator - Budget 2012
Budget 2012 – what are the tax implications for you? KPMG's easy-to-use calculator will help you to quickly assess your bottom line.
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Noonan gambles with new tax rises
The Government has taken a gamble on economic recovery after unleashing a slew of indirect taxes hitting every aspect of daily life.
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Adams urges back benchers to rebel against austerity
SINN Fein president Gerry Adams has called on disgruntled Fine Gael and Labour backbenchers to rebel over the Government's harsh austerity measures.
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Ahern must pay own mobile and secretarial bills
BERTIE Ahern faces stumping up for his own mobile-phone and secretarial bills -- worth thousands of euro a year -- under changes announced to payments to former Taoisigh.
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Taoiseach silent on pay rise for five other advisers
TAOISEACH Enda Kenny won't say if he personally intervened to raise the wages of any more special advisers as controversy raged over his demand for a €35,000 pay hike for a spindoctor.
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Passengers face 8pc hike in bus and rail fares as services cut
BUS and rail passengers face an 8pc fare hike at the same time as services are to be significantly cut.
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'I don't want to leave this country -- I'm being forced to leave'
PATRICK Conboy is disheartened that after securing two degrees in commerce and law, and embarking on a Master's in Public Law, he will be forced to emigrate for work.
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Coalition promises are consigned to the 'dustbin of sleeveen politics'
THE Government's "dismal" Budget contained the same type of cuts implemented by the last Fianna Fail-led administration, Sinn Fein claimed last night.
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Howlin is an 'equal opportunity butcher'
PUBLIC Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin was last night dubbed "an equal opportunities butcher" as Independent TDs complained about social welfare cuts.
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Fuel poverty is everywhere, says lone mum
WORRIED single mother Nuala McGinnity has hit out at the cut in the fuel allowance -- saying she may not be able to keep up with other weekly payments as she ensures her home is heated.
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Rank and file of the Coalition happy -- so far
FINE Gael and Labour backbenchers showed no signs last night of voting against the Budget as they declared themselves satisfied with the first "half of the jigsaw".
