Fianna Fail – Green – Healy-Rea – Lowry Budget 2011

Main points

  • Defence Forces budget for 2011 reduced by 4 per cent
  • Budgetary limit on the Dental Treatment Services Scheme introduced this year to be maintained
  • Overall health budget for 2011 will be €14.1 billion, a reduction of more than €700 million on this year
  • One of the Government’s jets is to be decommissioned, a second one will not be replaced
  • Car usage by former taoisigh and presidents to be pooled and the number of gardai assigned to this work reduced
  • Operational cost of the State car fleet to be cut by one-third over the next two years
  • Four-year National Solidarity Bond to be introduced
  • Capital provision expenditure for national roads cut by €394 million to €720 million
  • Planning and procurement processes for Metro North to continue
  • School transport charges for post-primary level students to rise to €350
  • Arts Council budget reduced by 5 per cent
  • Online betting to be subject to the same betting duty as in High Street bookmakers
  • No change to ‘old reliables’ such as alcohol and cigarettes
  • VRT relief for hybrid vehicles and flexible fuel vehicles extended by two years
  • Student grants to be reduced by 4 per cent
  • Social welfare rates for people aged between 18 and 21 years will not be changed.
  • Abolition of tax relief for trade union subscriptions
  • Rent Relief to be phased out over 8 years
  • Business Expansion Scheme to be revised
  • From 2011, Section 23 relief will be restricted to income from Section 23 property
  • Carer’s Allowance for those under 66 to be cut by €8 to €212 a week, Disability Allowance to be reduced by €8 to €186 a week
  • VTOS and FAS Training Allowances to be reduced from €31.60 to €20 per week
  • Maximum personal rate of payment for all weekly social welfare schemes to be reduced by €8 from January
  • Reduced funding for sporting bodies and agencies
  • Introduction of passport fees for over 65s
  • Student Services Charge replaced with a flat higher education student contribution of €2,000
  • €10 reduction in the personal weekly rate of Supplementary Welfare Allowance
  • €6 reduction in the rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowances for those aged 22-24
  • The top marginal tax rate to remain the same
  • New tax incentive to support employment and improve energy efficiency in homes.
  • Average income loss for families of the combined tax/social welfare package estimated at 7 per cent or €43 per week
  • Extension of three-year corporation tax exemption for start-up firms
  • €40 payment for fuel allowance recipients
  • A total of 25 tax reliefs to be abolished or restricted
  • PRSI rate for self-employed, higher earning public servants and office holders to be increased
  • Employee PRSI contribution ceiling removed
  • Income levy, health levy abolished and will be replaced with single universal social charge
  • Litre of petrol to rise by 4 cent, litre of diesel increase by 2 cent
  • Car scrappage scheme extended for a further six months
  • Air travel tax reduced from €10 to €3 from March 2011
  • All stamp duty exemptions abolished
  • Flat rate of 1 per cent stamp duty on all residential property transactions up to €1 million. Increase of 2 per cent duty on transaction over that amount
  • All property-based tax reliefs to be effectively terminated by 2014
  • No change to corporation tax rate
  • DIRT increased by 2 per cent to 27 per cent on ordinary deposit accounts and by 2 per cent to 30 per cent on longer-term deposit accounts
  • People on new reduced minimum wage will not be brought into tax net
  • Income tax band and credits to be lowered by 10 per cent
  • Public service pensions above €12,000 to be reduced by average of 4 per cent
  • Salary cap of €250,000 for civil servants
  • Next President’s salary to be capped at €250,000
  • 10 per cent reduction in pay of new entrants to public service
  • PRSI incentive scheme extended until the end of 2011
  • €10,000 reduction in salary for ministers
  • €14,000 reduction in Taoiseach’s salary
  • 15,000 placements to support unemployed at a cost of €200m
  • €10 reduction in lower and higher child benefit rates, additional reduction for third child
  • No reduction in the State pension this year