Budget cannot be more of the same, says Boyd Barrett

People Before Profit have revealed their alternative budget ahead of the Budget itself on October 6th.

Party leader Richard Boyd Barrett said, “we live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet the majority of workers and households are seriously struggling with the cost of living and a majority of our young people are thinking of leaving the country altogether because they can’t afford to live here.”

The Dún Laoghaire TD said, “the problem is not that we don’t have the wealth to solve these problems, the problem is the distribution of that wealth and the way Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael prioritise the interests of big corporations and the super-wealthy over the needs of ordinary working people.”

Boyd Barrett said that last year’s Budget was a “disaster” and next Tuesday’s Budget cannot be more of the same.

“Budget 2026 was a disaster for workers and families, and people with disabilities were left €1,400 worse off. In contrast, large tax cuts were handed out to property developers and fast food chains.“This must not happen again. It is time to redistribute the massive wealth in this state from multi-millionaires and from corporate profits to the people who create the wealth; to fund new housing, quality public services and a just transition,” he said.

Boyd Barrett explained, “we propose radical plans to widen the tax base through a multi-millionaires tax and by introducing a financial translations tax. We also propose to introduce higher income tax rates for very high earners, and increase the effective corporation tax rate to 20%.”

“These measures alone would raise an additional €45 billion, which is more than enough to pay public sector workers a 10% increase, end poverty for people with disabilities, abolish third level and childcare fees, and triple spending on public housing.”

Boyd Barrett insisted that socialist ideas are gaining popularity among the public, pointing to recent successes by left-wing candidates in Berlin and New York.

“That appetite exists here too, and our proposals are a response to that,” he said.