Leinster House in Dublin
Ireland’s Minister for Finance Michael Noonan delivered his Budget 2015 speech at Government Buildings in Dublin today, and no sooner did he speak than Twitter users react to what he had to say.
Noonan revealed that under Budget 2015 the child benefit is to rise to €5 per child, the entry point for the Universal Social Charge (USC) has been raised to more than €12,000, the 41pc income tax rate has been reduced to 40pc, the 9pc VAT rate is staying put, cigarettes will cost an extra 40 cents, and there will be income tax relief on water charges up to a maximum of €500.
Noonan – who suffered a coughing fit during his speech – also said the Government wants to introduce a ‘knowledge box’ (or patent box) as part of its tax measures to woo corporations to develop new technology in Ireland.
Budget 2015, meanwhile, has become a trending topic on microblogging site Twitter. Here are 10 of the best tweets we’ve come across on the topic:
Knowledge Development Box – The coffin where your dreams are buried. #Budget15
— martinmcmahon (@williamhboney1) October 14, 2014
Funny how tax on water is up and tax on alcohol unchanged, we’ll be rightly dehydrated now #Budget15 #watercharges
— Dashee (@Dashee2559) October 14, 2014
Horrah… I can afford to buy an extra winning streak scratch card & a penny sweet for myself every week thanks to #budget15 😳😳😡 #spend
— Gerard Hannon (@rettiwt5463) October 14, 2014
The cough was even more irritating than the increase in the price of fags #Budget15 #Noonan #noincreaseinboozethough
— Rebecca Duffy (@RebeccaDuffy94) October 14, 2014
I’m sure people struggling in Ireland will use the warm glow of meeting deficit targets to heat themselves this winter. #Budget15
— Ian woods (@iWoodsie) October 14, 2014
I can see why it’s so infuriating to see a dole bonus at Christmas but I also see how Christmas would be unmanageable on the dole #budget15
— Rebecca Daly (@BeccaGinge) October 14, 2014
A phlegm-free synopsis of #Budget15 http://t.co/uka2bEltFR
— Michael McHale (@mickmchale) October 14, 2014
If only the Irish economy could grow at the rate of Roy Keane’s beard. He shaved on Friday ffs! #Budget15 #GERIRL pic.twitter.com/mecbydiUIZ
— Gary Ó’Nualláin (@GazzaONuallain) October 14, 2014
Great budget if you own land or want to get into building. Nothing there if you happen to be renting from the same people. #budget15
— Eamon Ryan (@EamonRyan) October 14, 2014
As a consumer I feel so much more confident after #Budget15 said no one ever
— Joe Cluxton. Senior. (@Castletonian) October 14, 2014
