The difference is Merkel's price vs the IMF price. It still rankles in Deutschland that some of their leading banks and financial services relocated to Ireland for our 12.5% tax rate and non-existent regulation. Merkel's price would be corporate tax and governance reforms.
What's with "another"? They got a levy on their pension which is guaranteed come hell or high water.....pay cut my hole...........election in 6 weeks, FG-Lab take over, Gilmore says he won't cut PS pay, so the IMF walk in and cut their pay by 20%...............it's gonna happen.
The difference is Merkel's price vs the IMF price. It still rankles in Deutschland that some of their leading banks and financial services relocated to Ireland for our 12.5% tax rate and non-existent regulation. Merkel's price would be corporate tax and governance reforms.
Hopefully the current junta of dullards we have in charge would find that marginally more palatable than cutting health and education etc. The IMF, going on past form would slash and burn public services and welfare. The question is which would be more detrimental to us? And how would the government of the day call it, Washington or Berlin?
My guess still though is that we are no more likely to see the IMF in Ireland than we are in Schleswig-Holstein or Connecticut or any other small regional economy within a larger framework.
Don't agree that the public service should take MORE pay cuts. I am a public servant (emergency services) and am sick of the right wing media harping on about Rolls Royce pensions and a host of other perks that go with a career in the public service. Last year PAYE workers paid 80% of all income tax and Public service workers made up 31% of that although they account for only 16% of the workforce!! PAYE workers pay more tax than any other sector of Irish society. I hope none of you who are calling for cuts to services will need to phone the police in the middle of the night when your Garda station has closed down or god forbid if you need an ambulance to take you to a hospital where the staff are already over worked without even more cuts. The closure of more Garda stations will accelerate the separation of the gardai from the communities they serve and drive a wedge between communities and their Garda service. A typical soldier has had his/her wages cut by €4000 pa already and are expected to travel to the most dangerous places in the world to keep the peace. Think those in the higher echelons should look at their pay packets and start the cuts there!
Last year PAYE workers paid 80% of all income tax and Public service workers made up 31% of that although they account for only 16% of the workforce!! PAYE workers pay more tax than any other sector of Irish society.
Think those in the higher echelons should look at their pay packets and start the cuts there!
Bottom line, the drain on the country's finances by the Public sector wage bill is unsustainable.
The Unions can stamp their feet and gnash their teeth all they like, it's only a case of when and not if.
I'd like to see the money the likes of those glorified chancers Begg and O'Connor are on.
This Govt, didn't have the balls to stand upto the unions last time out and now they're reaping the dividends.
No One disagrees that the top boyos are riding it and should be strung up, but hold your horses just one second there. I am sick of this scaremongering from the public service and their respective unions. I work in the private sector where I thank God have a good job and it's relatively secure, however I still had to endure a pay cut and mine was alot more severe than 7% and I have to contribute to MY own pension. The taxpayer ain't picking up mine. Secondly get off your high horse with this notion of being overworked, I have no doubt you are, however, I am working 10-11 hour days and working extremely hard and for no where near the pay I got 2 years ago. WE THE TAXPAYERS OF THIS COUNTRY CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY THE PUBLIC SECTOR BILL ANYMORE. How many different ways has this got to be spelt out for ye. If a private company doesn't have money anymore to pay wages, it doesn't borrow €400 million a week, it sheds staff and cuts wages. This is mainly due to the fact that money doesn't grow on trees. Both my parents are public sector workers, one in education and one in health and they are embarrassed by the brainwashing of the unions. 3.5% pay increase. I truly hope for people like you to actually feel some pain that people are genuinely feeling on dole queues with children to feed that the IMF come in to give ye something to actually complain about. Shut up with the whining, you have it good in 2009!
