Those on the minimum wage are the big winners in today's Budget, parents will also benefit. Cigarettes have gone up, alcohol and fuel remain the same.
Jobs boost for teachers and Gardai.
Michael Noonan heralded Budget 2016 as "no more boom and bust".
Here are the main points:
- CIGARETTES - A pack of 20 cigarettes is to increase by 50 cent from midnight tonight.
- USC - USC changes bring marginal tax rate to 49.5% for all earners under €70,044. USC Rates to be cut from 1.5% to 1%, from 3.5% to 3%, from 7% to 5.5%. Around 42,500 workers will be removed from paying USC completely and from January 1, USC entry threshold increases from 12,012 euro to 13,000.
- MINIMUM WAGE - National Minimum Wage will be increased to 9.15 an hour from January 1st.
- PRSI - More net cash for those on the minimum wage - change of bands on employer's PRSI from €356 to €376.
- PENSION - All pension payments to go up 3 euro a week from January 1, first increase since 2009.
- CHILDCARE - 8,000 childcare places to support parents in low paid employment. All children to avail of free preschool/childcare from age 3 to 5 and a half or when they start primary school
- CHILD BENEFIT - Child Benefit to go up by 5 euro to 140 euro next year.
- FAMILY INCOME SUPPLEMENT - Threshold for supplement increases by 5 euro per week for families with one child, 10 euro per week for those with 2 or more children.
- PATERNITY LEAVE - Paid leave for new dads being introduced for the first time from next September.
- HEALTH - Health budget of 13.2 billion next year "restores resourcing of health to pre-crisis levels" and GP care to be extended to under 12's next year (subject to negotiation with doctor representatives).
- HOUSING - NAMA to deliver 20,000 residential homes by 2020 - 90% of these in Dublin (18,000) at cost of 4.5 billion. Extra 69 million to allow local authorities secure accomodation for extra 14,000 households
- PROPERTY TAX - The property tax has been frozen until 2019.
- GARDAI AND TEACHERS - 2,000 more teachers and 600 extra Gardai will be hired.
- RESPITE CARE GRANT - Respite Care Grant value restored in full to 1,700 euro.
And....Merry Christmas, the WELFARE CHRISTMAS BONUS cut by previous government restored to 25% last year will be 75% this year.
