Aontú Armagh representative Daniel Connolly has called for the Budget debate to move away from demanding ever-larger payments from Westminster and towards cutting waste, securing meaningful fiscal powers and building a stronger all-Ireland economy.
Mr Connolly said:
“Every Budget brings the same tired argument. Unionists and so-called nationalists line up to tell us that London isn’t giving Stormont enough money. Almost nobody asks why we remain so dependent upon that money in the first place.
“When an MLA can spend £500 on a coffee machine, MLAs can accept a 27% pay increase and £505,000 can be spent renovating a restaurant at Stormont, people are entitled to question the respect shown for public money.
“Stormont politicians don’t have to raise most of the money they spend. When the finances don’t add up, they can simply point at Westminster, hold their noses and shout, ‘You farted.’
“It is particularly depressing to see so-called nationalist parties participating in this ritual. A nationalist economic ambition should surely amount to more than administering British subvention and demanding that London increase it.
“Greater fiscal powers should not mean greater taxes. I want powers that allow us to cut fuel excise duty, reduce VAT on fuel, cut business rates and make our economy more competitive. We should also use the Corporation Tax powers already available to reduce the northern rate to 12.5% and match the South. Why should a business in Armagh operate at a tax disadvantage to a business a short drive away in Monaghan? Our objective should be to remove those economic barriers, not preserve them.
“Greater economic independence from London must go hand-in-hand with greater economic interdependence across Ireland. We should be removing barriers between North and South and building an increasingly integrated all-Ireland economy.
“Our ambition should be simple: less waste, lower taxes, greater fiscal responsibility, less dependency on London and greater economic integration across Ireland.”
ENDS