Summary of ideas submitted in the Other category…

• In Australia, a government primary healthcare initiative using pharmacists is well under way and proving successful. It uses existing infrastructures and training as necessary for pharmacists in Victoria and Tasmania and is hoping to expand the success of this pilot to the wider Australia. We should try this.
• In Brazil instead of just paying people who were out of work, they paid people to come back to work. They are doing basic ‘menial’ jobs (like trash collecting, street cleaning, grass-watering, basic repair jobs etc) that don’t require a huge amount of training or skill - but these jobs are benefiting the city in keeping it clean, functioning and looking well. Why doesn’t the Government arrange something like this in Ireland?
• In each county people with ideas and those who need new capital should be invited to present business ideas to possible investors, with the enterprise boards coordinating other resources needed.
• In recent times the biggest problem facing credit unions is their inability to lend this money back to their members. I suggest that the Irish League of Credit Unions and the Government get together with a view to have this money invested in the Irish economy and thus fulfilling the premise for which the credit union movement was set up in the first place
• In relation to Garda pensions, the Government should offer voluntary purchase of an annuity now for €500,000 - this would allow the Gardai to invest it as they see fit.
• In relation to public sector pensions, remove the recently introduced levy. Introduce a ‘benefit in kind’ (BIK) personal income tax charge for public servants who wish to continue to have entitlement to defined benefits under the Public Sector Defined Benefits Scheme. This BIK would equate to 20% of salary.
• In the 1980s AnCO/FÁS played a key role with industry; they attached graduates to a number of export oriented companies who were looking to develop new markets in other European states. These individuals undertook professional market research for each of the companies involved and provided the companies with very detailed market information in relation to supply, competition, and a whole range of key data which a company would need if it was thinking of entering a new market. In a lot of cases the graduates created their own new job with the company; such was the quality of the market intelligence.
• In the grocery retail sector many of the prices of branded goods in the large multiples are exactly the same price. Would it not be useful if the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs, or the Competition Authority obliged the multiples to post all their prices on a common website?
• In the last three weeks there is a tangible upturn in economic activity in Ireland. Ireland will recover quicker than all the others and it’s starting - do not put a damper on it now - tread carefully.
• In the present economic climate young couples etc who took out fixed mortgages in the boom years should be allowed to put these mortgages on the variable rate without penalty.
• In the public sector, instead of paying early retirees a lump sum, stagger payments over five years.
• In the UK there is legal onus on pharmacists to dispense the cheapest version of a drug, when prescribed by its generic name rather than by its trade name. In Ireland I have had no direction in this regard from the HSE or seen any hint of similar legislation being considered.
• In this economic climate, for anyone convicted of drink driving, rather than taking their licence off them, their car can be fitted with a breath monitoring device (similar to roadside breath testing). This effectively locks the ignition.
• Increase corporation tax by at least 1%; create higher tax band of approx 48% on a sliding basis rather than with a hard threshold - the more you earn the more you pay, so that there isn’t a threshold effect; increase higher tax band by 2% to 43%.
• Increase government income by setting a plastic packaging tax (not just a recycling scheme like the one currently in operation i.e. Repak). If a separate packaging tax/ levy were put on all items sold in packages, especially plastic of various sorts, this could constitute a good income for the government coffers, while reducing waste and helping the environment at the same time.
• Increase investment in wind energy with a subsidy for production of renewable energy.
• Increase residual valuation of land and unsold housing stock, therefore reducing Irish banks’ exposure to the loans in excess of land valuation and give a lift to construction sector by abolishing or reducing VAT on new housing.
• Increase tax for high earners.
• Increase tax rate to 25% and 49%.
• Increase taxes on cigarettes and drink.
• Increase the survival rate for small businesses in Ireland (and as a by product more jobs in training) by making relevant training a legal requirement for all small business owners and staff via a national accreditation programme that provides initial training and annual strategic business planning consultation. The funding for this programme to be provided by the prime beneficiaries, i.e. the banks and Revenue.
• Independently audit the Government and remove any problem staff no matter what rank. Cut out all unnecessary costs from the Government i.e. redundant staff, even TDs.
• Indigenous companies must be encouraged and incentivised to compete for many lucrative contracts against foreign contractors.
• Initiate a programme to undertake voluntary work for the good of the country, e.g. teachers doing grinds to children.
• Initiate a scheme whereby workers in the public sector identify savings which will not affect service to the public.
• Inspectorate set up to monitor activity of civil service.
• Instead of giving all the money to the banks for them to save their bacon, set aside some of the funds to save the small businessman/woman.
• Instead of giving families the childcare supplement, give the money directly to all childcare services, both private and community, to keep costs down. The €900 per year that is currently being paid for each child under 5.5 years could be given to each centre once the child starts attending the service.
• Instead of imposing new taxes on individuals, the Government should reduce income tax on individuals and increase a little (0.5% to 1%) corporate tax or impose (0.5% to 1%) corporate tax on businesses currently exempt from taxation.
• Instead of investing in the banking system, directly set up a grant scheme in where individuals who are in negative equity or having problems with mortgage repayments apply for a grant ,and if successful a certain percentage of their mortgage is repaid.
• Instead of making 20% of employees redundant, all employees in a particular enterprise or service reduce their working time by 20%.
• Instead of money being given out for children’s allowance and Departments not knowing if the allowances are being spent on the children, vouchers could be issued to families (e.g. like Tesco vouchers) maybe even for part of the children’s allowance. The vouchers could only be used to buy food/clothes/shoes/school clothes/books for children.
• Instead of selling off Ireland’s natural resources including gas and oil reserves and subsequently raising taxes on petrol and diesel prices, the Government should reclaim the rights to those.
• Instead of the Government paying unemployment benefit, could they not employ them themselves so that they could add value to their local community? A way of doing this would be to put together teams of individuals with a supervisor in charge of each team, and have them mow common area council owned lawns, tend to flowerbeds, pick up rubbish that is scattered all over our lovely communities, clip hedges and general maintenance.
• Instead of the myriad taxes which we now pay, simply tax products with a massive VAT charge.