Deputy John McGuinness has called on Ministers Brian Lenihan and Éamon Ó Cuív to introduce exemptions for lower paid workers who hold a medical card.
In a Parliamentary Question tabled in the Dail, Deputy McGuinness asked the Ministers if they were aware that ‘lower paid workers who hold a medical card and were exempt from paying the income levy and the health levy, will now have to pay the universal social charge and will no longer be exempt and in some cases resulting in a reduction of €81 per week in their take home pay. The new levy represents up to a 16 per cent pay cut.
Deputy McGuinness requested that the Ministers take the appropriate action to restore the exemption and make a statement on the matter.
