Progressive changes in tax or pay in the Budget will not be enough to alleviate poverty, the Conference of Religious in Ireland (CORI) has warned the Government.
"The poorest and most excluded people in Irish society would not gain one penny from progressive changes in either pay or tax because they don't have jobs in the first place and are not in a position to pay tax," CORI's justice commission said. "Consequently, next week's Budget must provide major improvements in the lowest social welfare payments if there is to be any fairness in the distribution of resources that forms the core of the Budget."