HOWLIN ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR FORUM ON PAY AND TAXATION
The Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin is planning to hold a forum on issues like pay, taxation and what services can be afforded.
But Mr Howlin is warning it is not a return to social partnership.
Speaking ahead of the Cabinet meeting this morning, he said he sees the forum as a way of stress testing ideas.
Mr Howlin said there is now more money in the Exchequer, and he wants to get the best options on how it is spent.
“I’d like to see an independent forum for all ideas to be stress tested” he said.
“Obviously there’s a finite sum of money and we can’t prioritise everything – so within the parameters of available money to see what we can build a consensus about in relation to taxing, in relation to spending, in relation to the areas of expenditure that are most required in society right now” he added.
