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Summary of budget 2014
Galway Bay fm newsroom – Minister Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin have presented Budget 2014 with free GP cards for children under five, steep hikes in the price of alcohol and cigarettes and cuts to pensioners allowances, central to this years package.
While there are to be no changes to the weekly old age pension payments, the monthly telephone allowance for pensioners is being scrapped.
Income thresholds for full medical cards for those over the age of 70 is being reduced by 100 euro per week – a move which it is estimated will see 35,000 pensioners being downgraded to a GP only card.
Despite speculation to the contrary the free travel allowance for pensioners remains as do gas and electricity allowances but presicption charges will increase to two euro fifty.
If you are newly unemployed and under the age of 26 your dole payment is being reduced.
Bad news too if you fall sick, you will now not receive any illness benefit from the state until you are six days away from work, that’s doubled from three days.
There are no changes to child benefit payments this year, however maternity benefit is being cut or standardised to 230 euro per week for all.
In the classroom pupil-teacher ratios will remain unchanged and a rent a book scheme is being reintroduced in primary schools.
There’s good and bad news for home owners, mortgage income supplements are being abolished from January but if you are having home improvements carried out, you’ll be able to claim back a 13.5 per cent credit on work costing between five and thirty thousand euro.
A new banking levy aimed as raising 150 million euro is to be introduced. Savers will be hit with increases in DIRT tax, up from 33 to 41 per cent, while there will be increases too in capital gains and capital acquisitions tax
A raft of new measures aimed at tackling the shadow economy have also been signalled.
These will target VAT fraud, illegal tobacco selling and unlicensed trading in alcohol.
The so called old reliables don’t escape either, 10 cent is to be added to a pint of beer, cider and a standard measure of spirits, while 50 cent will be added to a bottle of wine.
10 cent will be added to cigarettes from midnight but motorists got off scott free with no changes to petrol or diesel. Home heating oil and gas prices remain the same.
Despite fears that a gradual increase in VAT would be introduced for the hospitality sector, the 9 per cent rate announced last year is to remain in place.
To further support the travel and tourism sector, Air travel tax is to be reduced to zero from April next year provided airlines develop new routes
As previously signaled 200 million euro from the sale of the national lottery will go towards the building of the new national children’s hospital, but it was announced today that the remaining 200 million will be used to support local job creation programmes such road maintenance and repair works, and the building of a new national indoor training arena at the national sports campus
The death has occurred of the former Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Martin Drennan, six years after he announced his retirement on health grounds. He was aged 78.
The Galway Diocesan Office confirmed the death this (Saturday) afternoon of the Bishop and Apostolic Administrator Emeritus, who oversaw the Diocese for eleven years.
Born on January 2, 1944 in Piltown, County Kilkenny, he studied for the priesthood at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, from where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. His brother Michael is also a priest.
Following his ordination, he continued his studies in Rome where he was awarded a Licentiate in both sacred theology and sacred scripture. He returned to Rome in 1980 to become spiritual director at the Pontifical Irish College for the next five years.
He became a lecturer in sacred scripture at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, where he continued to teach until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin in 1997 with responsibility for East Wicklow and South Dublin.
Following the retirement of Bishop James McLoughlin, Bishop Drennan was appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora and he was installed on July 3, 2005 in Galway Cathedral.
Outgoing Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) is on course to retain her City Council seat – and top the poll in City East.
With 33% of the boxes tallied, Cllr O’Flaherty is polling strongly, particularly in Renmore.
Michael John Crowe is ahead of his running mate Alan Cheevers for the Fianna Fáil vote, according to the early figures, although that could change when Doughiska and Roscam boxes are opened.
The Green Party’s Claire Hillery is on about 7%, with Fine Gael on 10% and Sinn Fein on 5%.
The opening of boxes for the local elections began at 9am this morning in Leisureland when the tallymen (and women) kicked into gear.
As regards the Galway County Council elections, the smaller areas are being opened first which means that the four-seater Connemara North boxes will be first in the pecking order.
It will be followed by Gort-Kinvara (5 seats), Connemara South (5 seats), Athenry-Oranmore (7 seats), Ballinasloe (6 seats), Loughrea (5 seats) and finally Tuam (7 seats).
The boxes in these areas will be opened and tallied in that particular order before being transferred to the Galway Lawn Tennis Club on Threadneedle Road where the counting will commence around mid-morning.
That is when the fun will really begin – although the tallies should give a good indication as to where most of the seats are destined.
As regards the city, the Galway City East boxes were opened first, followed by Galway City Central and finally Galway City West. These votes will be transferred to the Westside Centre by around 11am for counting.
There are 39 seats on Galway County Council to be filled with 18 on Galway City Council. The City Council count is expected to conclude on Saturday night but the County Council count – with seven electoral areas to be filled – could well go into Monday.
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