Brendan Burgess
Founder
- Messages
- 52,192
We shouldn't be giving free anything to anyone who can afford to pay for it.Any time I'm abroad I use trains, it's the best way to travel. In Ireland they're too expensive and crowded, it's cheaper and more pleasant to drive and pay for parking. That's not great for the environment.
Why are they so expensive? At least in part because of free travel. Over 1m people have access to free travel, probably about 25%+ of the adult population.
Free travel means Irish Rail have had a free hand to demand price hikes. For Irish Rail they can charge what they like because a large section of their users simply don't care - the government is going to hand over the cash for them. (Many people don't understand how the system works - they genuinely think Irish Rail is letting them on for nothing).
Free travel is great for OAPs, but in a limited form - maybe off peak (like it used to be) and with a reasonable number of journeys per year before a reduced ticket price kicks in.
The SILC surveys have one of the largest sample sizes of any survey carried out in Ireland, it is stratified sample so each section of the population is represented in proportion to its size and it uses a methodology which is standardised across all EU countries. So it is as definitive as you can get.The data shown in the original post appears to be based on SILC surveys carried out by the CSO and ESRI.
These random surveys could not be considered definitive.
I've often argued against increases in the State Pension at it gives more money to rich people but from this report it does have a material impact on the small cohort of pensioners who are poor.@Purple,
yes, correct, the first measure of poverty, AROP, is before any household expenditure.
It looks solely at income. It is still useful.
There are other measures of poverty, for example material deprivation, which try to take a broader picture.
There is a trade-off here as there is so much subjectivity. Questions are along the lines of "are you able to afford a holiday once a year?".There are other measures of poverty, for example material deprivation, which try to take a broader picture.
We shouldn't be giving free anything to anyone who can afford to pay for it.
Agreed. As a Type 2 Diabetic, (something that came about due entirely to my own unhealthy and hedonistic lifestyle some years ago) I am eligible for a long-term illness book which gives me free medication and blood testing equipment for the rest of my life. I could well afford to pay for these, but because I don't have to pay for them, I don't! The HSE shouldn't be giving me this benefit.
Your solution to inequalities seems to be to impoverish everyone?Nothing is free, it is all paid for, either individually or communally.
The way to address inequalities is via a progressive taxation system.
If older retired people are drowning in cash then tax their income.
If they hold mutlitple properties then tax those properties.
If they have an income stream from investments or equities, then tax those sources too.
If retired people are dying with millions in the bank, then raise death duties too.
Your solution to inequalities seems to be to impoverish everyone?
Why shouldn't retired people who have saved and worked hard throughout their lives be allowed enjoy the fruits of it?
The alternative of living hand to mouth and worrying about bills in retirement is dystopian.
Wealth is wealth. How people choose to hold that wealth is their business.Is the notion that the majority of older people are wealthy based on anything other than home ownership?
If so what is it?
In Ireland, wealthy is having a second horse.Is the notion that the majority of older people are wealthy based on anything other than home ownership?
If so what is it?
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