Summary of ideas submitted in the Policy category…

• Introduce a tax discount for taxes paid six months early and increase dividends on deposits held in An Post, Government bonds and prize bonds.
• Introduce a tax relief scheme for investment in renewable energy companies.
• Introduce an ‘anti competitive penalty tax’ to penalise professionals who charge above a certain threshold of the European average. This would be a temporary way to police anti-competitive charges that make Ireland such an expensive country to do business in.
• Introduce an annual property tax rather than paying a large sum of money in the form of stamp duty.
• Introduce an expanded home energy saving scheme which will provide increased tax allowances for expenditure incurred in improving insulation of dwelling houses.
• Introduce car tax reform: i.e., people who use the roads the most and who drive inefficient cars should pay more than those who use only use their cars occasionally
• Introduce carbon taxes and reward those for planting woodlands & forests.
• Introduce charges of approx €50 on receiving a passport stamp from Immigration.
• Introduce free third level education for all students studying subjects like IT and engineering that will contribute to the development of a knowledge-based economy.
• Introduce legislation requiring all windows to be double glazed and all houses to be properly insulated.
• Introduce legislation that would require that all security alarms be obliged to reset themselves automatically after 30 minutes. They would be required to switch off completely after ringing for 30 minutes. Lights could still flash to indicate that the alarm was triggered, but there would be no audible alarm after 30 minutes. It would greatly reduce noise pollution, and would generate jobs in manufacturing
• Introduce legislation to prevent the banks lending money to people without proven means of repaying the money.
• Introduce more facilities, such as dog bins in public areas, for dog owners.
• Introduce national identity cards for dealings with state bodies.
• Introduce nuclear energy.
• Introduce on the spot fines for spitting and not disposing of chewing gum properly.
• Introduce paved walkways and cycle paths in our cities and towns and suburbs which are independent of our road ways.
• Introduce post codes.
• Introduce programmes to send transition year students around Ireland on their trips rather than abroad.
• Introduce social employment scheme where individuals are given benefits in return for a contribution to the economy.
• Introduce standard form with details that most Government forms require and use instead of filling out multiple individual forms.
• Introduce stricter means-testing for the Early Childcare Supplement.
• Introduce sugar tax to increase revenues and provide long term health benefits.
• Introduce tax relief on receipted spending. The tax relief will only occur at the time of annual return (e.g. for the self employed when completing final tax returns). The tax income will be on a cash flow benefit basis to the Revenue.
• Introduce the UK’s Vat rate of 15.5%.
• Invest in infrastructure using investment bonds and deposits.
• Invest more money in marketing our tourist industry.
• Investors should able to benefit from tax credits spread over a certain time period.
• Ireland should adopt one country and devote its resources and aid to helping it alone.
• Ireland should introduce a minimum rate of salary that must be paid in tax for all earners over a certain level.
• Ireland should structure itself and think like a large company to evaluate the market in the same manner as a multi-national corporation would.
• Irish universities and colleges should take in more international students - this would result in the building and expansion of campuses.
• Issue recovery savings bonds. It would force those seeking unemployment assistance to look for work whilst at the same time maintaining employment within our multi-nationals and giving us a competitive edge.
• It should be Government policy that all national development / public projects, such as roads, schools etc are put out to tender with a pre-condition that successful tenders will only be awarded to firms or contractors who guarantee to employ an percentage of the project staff directly off the live register.
• Keep all pensions fund money invested in this country instead of letting people invest it abroad.