Wallace welcomes Budget and identifies improvements for her Constituency
The Budget speech commitment on the construction of the Dublin to Dunboyne rail line was warmly welcomed by local TD Mary Wallace.
She also identified the additional €95M for primary school building bringing the total to €594M for infrastructure investment in schools next year as being very important in Meath East.
The stamp duty being simplified from 6 rates to 2 rates where all home buyers will pay less will help stimulate the housing market said Minister Mary Wallace and this is important in the growth towns of Meath East and helps people involved in the sale and purchase of homes at this time.
On the taxation changes, people on minimum wages won’t have to pay tax and the taxation changes provides gains for everyone.
Climate change and the Environment. With growing evidence to the challenge facing us all posed by Global warming more people are choosing lifestyle changes and choices regarding consuming and conserving resources. The budget VRT and Motor tax changes being connected to CO2 emissions as distinct from engine size gives consumers real choices.
Improvements in Social Welfare benefits and Child care payments in the Budget amounting to €957 million accounts for half of the increase in total current spending compared to the pre-budget outlook reflecting this governments commitment to provide improvements for people on low incomes.
The construction industry provides 260,000 jobs said Mary Wallace with many Meath people employed in the building sector. The budget provides substantial measures to strengthen this important sector at this time including the all important stamp duty simplifications and reductions and the large investments via the National Development Plan with for example €2.7B on Transport (which includes €1.7B on National Roads and €1B on public transport) and 1.7B in 2008 on housing. There is also substantial capital funding in other areas such as the school building programme, water services, infrastructure, Agricultural schemes such as Farm Waste Management Grants and the Health Capital Programme.
Overall, Minister Wallace welcomed many points and measures in the 2008 Budget.