Sinn Féin to hold protest in Cork City against budget measures on Saturday afternoon

Sinn Féin to hold protest in Cork City against budget measures on Saturday afternoon Sinn Féin is to hold a protest in Cork City Centre on Saturday afternoon in opposition to the measures announced in Wednesday’s budget. The demonstration will take place at 1pm in Daunt Square. Deputy Jonathan O’Brien has called on the people of Cork to come out and join the protest against a budget that Sinn Féin is describing as “anti-children, anti-family and anti-jobs.” Speaking from Leinster House, the Cork-North Central TD, said: “This was budget was about priorities and choices. There was scope for Fine Gael and Labour to deliver a budget that was fair and to enact measures that would protect ordinary families. However, the Government decided to attack those on low to middle incomes while ring-fencing the wealthy.” “I am worried about the families in my constituency and right across Cork who have been hit with a tax on the family home, more PRSI, cuts to child benefit, increased college registration fees and motor tax. I just don’t see where many of these families will find the money to survive. They are still coping with the impact of this Government’s last budget.” “The Labour Party should be ashamed. This is a party who claims that it stands up for working people and defends the most vulnerable in society. Yet here we have more broken promises from Gilmore & company. They made very loud vows not to cut child benefit or to raise student fees prior to going into government. However, they have simply flung these promises out the window. Labour Party TDs will have a lot of explaining to do to people on the ground in the communities of Cork City. Fianna Fáil would have been proud of this budget. They designed a lot of these measures.” “The hike in PRSI is non-progressive meaning it will cost €264 a year, whether you earn €20,000 or €200,000. The property tax is indiscriminate in that it takes no account of income, ability to pay, mortgages or stamp duty paid. For Michael Noonan to argue that this was a budget built on the concept of fairness is completely patronising to the people most affected.” “I don’t know how much more people can take. You can sense the anger. They feel betrayed We have to remember that in three months the Government will be paying out over €3 billion in a promissory note to Anglo Irish Bank. I am inviting the people of Cork to join with us on Saturday to protest against this budget which is another part of the culture of social injustice being cultivated by Fine Gael and Labour in government.” ENDS -- Darren O'Keeffe Public Relations Officer Cork Sinn Féin Tel: 0852081872 Sinn Féin Constituency Office - 52 Shandon Street, Cork City - Tel: (021) 4212233 Sinn Féin Cork Office - 136 Barrack Street , Cork City - Tel: (021) 4311389