Water charges and rates increase could help Stormont 'raise £3bn a year'
Summary
A Treasury review suggests that Northern Ireland’s government could have an extra £3 billion a year for public services by raising property taxes, introducing water charges, and reducing the number of public sector workers. The report also says ending equal pay for Northern Ireland public workers compared to other UK regions could save a large amount of money.Key Facts
- The review was done after Northern Ireland overspent by £400 million last year.
- Northern Ireland’s public sector has more workers than England’s, costing more money.
- Reducing public workers to the size of England’s could save nearly £400 million a year.
- Ending “pay parity” (equal pay for public workers in Northern Ireland) could save up to £2.5 billion annually.
- Raising property taxes to match England’s council tax could bring in over £400 million per year.
- Introducing water charges of about £465 per household could raise an additional £357 million.
- The review was done by the UK Treasury alone after the Northern Ireland Department of Finance withdrew.
- Pay parity issues have caused strikes and industrial actions in Northern Ireland’s public sector.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
