Lucinda Creighton (Fine Gael)

candidate Dáil election

Hi

Many thanks for your query.

My priorities for political change in the next Dáil will be for fully vouched expenses for all politicians and also to end the obscene pensions for politicians and others who have benefited too much at the tax payer’s expense. Fine Gael will hold a referendum, if in Government, to reduce the number of TDs by 20 and to abolish the Seanad. This will reduce the number of politicians by 35%. Furthermore, I believe that by abolishing and merging local authorities, we will have less councillors who will have more powers and greater accountability. Another of my priorities is to advocate reform of the electoral system to deal with localism which is so prevalent in the Irish political system.

Fine Gael will reduce the budget deficit by 3% by 2014. Our goal is to bring the current account (revenue minus current spending) into surplus by 2016 i.e. we will only borrow to invest. Unless the deficit is brought under control, interest costs will cripple Ireland.

Under a Fine Gael Government tax increases will constitute at most one-third of our measures to reduce the deficit, with any tax increases focused on areas which have a minimal impact on jobs. We will not increase income tax, the 12.5% rate of corporation tax or employer’s PRSI. We will, however, either eliminate or restrict all of the tax shelters and tax exemptions that allow the better off to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.

Kind regards

Lucinda Creighton TD