Thursday's Public Sector Strike March and Rally

by Jolly Red Giant - Socialist Party / CWI Wed Dec 02, 2009 22:37

B*stards

by pat c Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:33

Here is a message from Paddy Healy, chair of the National Public Service Alliance

ICTU Sell-out on way!

Public service trade unionists were shocked to hear Peter McClune, Chair of Public Services Committee, ICTU, announce that he was about to negotiate a cut of 1.3 billion in the public service pay bill as we left the picket lines.. Some were even more shocked to hear Jack O Connor, President of both Siptu and ICTU, repeat the McClune mantra that we must do vastly more with less resources in his Markewicz Lecture. There has been no denial of the quote in Irish Times which has Jack O Connor saying that pay rose too steeply during the boom at an ICTU seminar.

ICTU has no mandate to negotiate cuts in public service pay and cuts in public service provision. Trade unionists should campaign for the resignation of any trade union leader who advocates such capitulatory policies.

The vast majority of citizens support increased taxation of the wealthy as demonstrated in recent opinion polls.
As George Lee asserted at McGill Summer School, most of the money borrowed from foreign banks is still in the country.
There is a simple way of collecting it which is in operation in many countries throughout the world. It is called Wealth Tax or Assets Tax. This can be designed to exclude family home and farmland. Why not an emergency “patriotic” contribution from the rich to tide the country over coming year?

I append below an outline of the French Wealth Tax System which is available on internet

If cuts in public service pay and public service provision go ahead, we must prepare the biggest and most effective campaign ever mounted leading into the next general election.

Paddy Healy, School of Physics DIT , paddy.healy@eircom.net m 086-4183732

French Wealth Tax (ISF)Updated 2009

TAXABLE ASSETS

French Wealth Tax is payable on net assets above 790000€ held on 1st January. French residents must include all worldwide assets and send in their declaration and payment by 15th June.

"Non-residents" with property in France are only liable for wealth tax on assets phyisically situated in France (therefore excluding purely financial investments) and have slightly longer to declare (17th July for Europeans and 31st August for non Europeans). Residency is defined by French law and is not simply a matter of being present for 183 days. If in doubt, please contact us.

The French parliament has agreed partial exemption for five years from French wealth tax for most people moving to France after 6th August 2008. This is part of the Loi de la Modernisation de l'Economie approved during summer 2008 (when most French were away on holiday!). Amongst other objectives this law aims to encourage high-earning professionals to move to France. The ISF exemption is similar to the existing US treaty and the proposed Anglo-French treaty - although the latter is still awaiting approval. The exemption only covers assets outside France, so careful financial planning is necessary. Newcomers may now prefer to choose appropriate foreign assets that fall under favorable French tax rules - but beware of the additional costs of living off foreign assets... Please contact us for full details.
Assets must be consolidated for all members of the household. Couples must make a joint declaration whether married or not. Assets held by children below 18 years of age must also included.
Assets include
- Land & buildings (Principal & secondary residences, rental property, ...)
- Financial investments (quoted & unquoted stocks & shares, bank accounts, ...)
- Jewellery and precious stones
- Furniture
- Cars, Motorcycles, Boats, Aeroplanes, ...
Even if you are not the owner, simply having the right to live somewhere or receive income can be enough to make you liable on the capital value.If you own shares in a property company (eg SCI), your declaration is based on the value of the underlying property.
WEALTH TAX RATES
To calculate the tax, add up the total value of assets for the household and deduct all outstanding debts and overdrafts as at 1st January. You then apply the rates from the following table:
The 2009 tax bands for ISF are

- to 790000€ 0%
- 790,000 to 1,280,000€ 0.55 %
- 1,280,000 to 2,520,000€ 0.75 %
- 2,520,000 to 3,960,000€ 1.00 %
- 3,960,000 to 7,570,000€ 1.30 %
- 7,570,000 to 16,480,000€ 1.65 %
above 16,480,000€ 1.80 %

by Marcher Mon Nov 30, 2009 23:22

Looks like McLoone, Begg and O'Connor are falling over themselves to 'do a deal'. If they do what'll the reaction be?