Parents and those on the minimum wage are the big winners of budget 2016. Everyone will get some extra cash as a result of the measures. The only tax hike is an increase in the cost of a packet of cigarettes and hundreds of gardai and teachers will be hired.
Here are the main points:
- The Universal Social Charge - the main tax that comes out of your wages, is being cut. If you're earning €35,000, if will mean an extra 57 euro a month.
- A packet of cigarettes is going up by 50 cent from midnight.
- There's no increase in alcohol or petrol.
- There will be a jobs boost next year, 2000 more teachers and 600 extra gardai will be hired.
- The Local Property Tax will be frozen until 2019.
- Eighteen thousand homes in Dublin will have to be delivered by the end of 2020.
- The €5 stamp duty on debit and atm cards will be replaced with a 12 cent per ATM transaction fee - its to encourage more card payments.
- The minimum wage hourly rate is going up by 50 cent.
- Parents are getting a second free pre-school year for children.
- Child benefit is going up by €5 a week.
- The pupil-teacher ratio will be reduced.
- Free GP care has been extended to under 12s although doctors haven't agreed to this yet.
- Paid leave for new dads is being introduced for the first time from next September.
- The Social Welfare Christmas Bonus will be back in December but it will be 75% of the weekly payment.
