Summary of ideas submitted in the Policy category…

• Get rid of automated telephone responses and employ people to answer the phones.
• Get rid of county councils and have city councils in the other urban areas instead who will boost and aid the growth of population in the cities.
• Get rid of PAYE to increase disposal income to get people spending.
• Give a tax credit of up to €6,000 to businesses who take an individual off the unemployed register and give tax credits on taxes associated with this Government will save on unemployment benefit.
• Give a tax incentive to people to job share.
• Give all people between 18 and 65 extra tax credits for the short to medium term future to get them through the recession.
• Give all the politicians economics lessons.
• Give companies in trouble extra time to meet their tax requirements.
• Give companies the opportunity to pay corporation tax in advance, reversing the “Individualisation” Taxation Policy e.g. a mother who does not wish to return to work could have her tax credits transferred to her partner.
• Give each city more freedom to run and develop their surrounding areas.
• Give employers a PRSI holiday for the next 12 months on all newly created jobs.
• Give employers PRSI reliefs for all new employees for a fixed period.
• Give everyone a number similar to a PPS number that has to be used for all money transactions to stop tax evasion.
• Give extra tax relief to couples with one person staying at home.
• Give generous tax relief to start-up companies in proportion to the level of income tax paid by their employees.
• Give more green cards, instead of denying non-EU or non-nationals a chance to become an Irish citizen.
• Give people appointment times when signing on live register for next months sign on.
• Give people in public sector less hours and hire more to make up the difference. Reform Bord Pleanala to speed up planning process.
• Give tax relief to companies who are able to guarantee jobs to their employees - this might encourage staff to spend the money they have been hoarding.
• Give the Government ministers a 40% pay cut.
• Give unemployment benefits to the employer to subsidise the wages of employees in order to keep people at work.
• Government departments and agencies need to centralise advertising and PR. There should be a central think-tank for advertising / pr purchasing and hard metrics about campaign effectiveness. Digital advertising should be used more.
• Government policy should have input from an advisory committee consisting of proven business leaders from relevant areas.
• Government should reduce medical costs. Make them choose between state contracts and private practice - not a mixture.
• Government should subsidise each small business in respect of the amount it pays out in unemployment benefit.
• Government should subsidise wages for those who employers can only afford to pay a three day week.
• Government to create a special investment bond that would be guaranteed by the Government and pay a little over the odds but a lot less than what Ireland is currently paying on the international money markets.
• Government to pay employers an employment subsidy for each employee to reduce unemployment benefit and its net loss in income tax, income levy etc
• Have a clause in all Government purchase contracts saying that all contracts are subject to mediation if there is a dispute.
• Have a national devaluation day. On this day reduce all public and private salaries by 20%.
• Have international co-operation of policy issues between Scotland and Ireland with no political interference.
• Have one renewable energy boiler (e.g. wood pellet boiler) for every four or five houses on all new estates.
• Highly qualified engineers, accountants, teachers etc who are now out of work should work within their communities and help the communities while also retaining their skills and maybe gaining more experience.
• Hold a general election and replace the current administration.
• Hold no local elections; let civil servants take their place instead.