The Tánaiste and leader of the Progressive Democrats, Ms Harney, published details of her party's general election manifesto in Dublin yesterday in a determined effort to steal a march on her political opponents.
By unveiling the 90-page document in advance of a dissolution of the Dáil, the party hoped to set the political agenda for the opening of the campaign and to emphasise its separate identity and policies. It desperately needs to hold or to increase its Dáil representation, now standing at four, if it is to remain a force in Irish politics.
Taxation and the economy continue to dominate its policies. The big idea for the forthcoming election is the establishment of a National Transformation Fund that will cater for a capital expenditure programme in health, education and infrastructure amounting to €8 billion, over five years. Money for the fund will be raised through the sale of the ESB and Bord Gáis, with €2 billion coming from surplus reserves within the Central Bank. The party also indicated its desire to sell off Aer Lingus and the three most successful port authorities in the State, Dublin, Cork and Waterford.
Endorsing a programme of high employment and low taxation, the Progressive Democrats promised no direct income, corporation or capital tax increases during the coming five years. Inheritance tax and PRSI charges would be frozen. In terms of concessions, the top rate of income tax would be cut further from 42 to 40 per cent; the tax imposition on share option schemes would be reduced; indexation of income tax bands and credits would be adopted and those on the minimum wage would be removed from the tax net.Such a policy approach, according to Ms Harney, merely tidied up the programme of reform that had been implemented by the party in Government. The main challenge now facing the State was to transform public services and public infrastructure. The Progressive Democrats believed they could do it without pushing up taxes, damaging the public finances and reactivating unemployment.
It is clear from initial policy statements already published by the various government and opposition parties that a consensus exists on the need to invest in health care, education, policing and social services, along with expensive infrastructural projects covering transport, communications and services. If, as expected, the general election is called this week, the political focus will fall on how those disparate projects are to be funded. In that regard, Fine Gael, the Labour Party, the Green Party - and now the Progressive Democrats - have published some details of their fiscal intentions. Fianna Fáil has yet to clarify its position, and differing opinions on borrowing for capital purposes have been expressed by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance. No doubt these and other issues will be clarified and debated in the weeks ahead.