MY BUDGET:"IT'S BETTER than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick," quipped Tony Egan yesterday in relation to the €2 increase in the weekly fuel allowance, which he is entitled to because of his disability.
"Although it's a minor amount, I think in real terms it's possibly a little more relevant than the social welfare increase," he said.
Tony was resigned to the fact that this year's Budget wouldn't hold much for him.
However, he was disappointed with the social welfare increase of €6.50 a week, which for him will represent a rise of only 3.29 per cent.
"I wasn't expecting a great deal. It's difficult times, everybody knows that," he said resignedly.
"You've got to be realistic, but I really would have hoped that the increase would have kept pace with inflation, and inflation as measured by the CPI [Consumer Price Index]."
He pointed out that inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index was 4.3 per cent last month, and that price inflation for essentials such as food and non-alcoholic beverages was actually running at 6.1 per cent.
Tony, who participates in a Community Enterprise scheme, is particularly concerned about rising utility costs, so the modest increase in the fuel package was particularly welcome.
He points out, for example, that the last ESB bill he received was 17 per cent higher than the previous bill.
"And that's just one energy source," he pointed out.
"I think things could have been done elsewhere."
For example, he questions the fairness of the Early Childcare Supplement scheme.
"I really think that should have been means-tested, with a cut-off point for the lowly paid workers," he suggested.