Taoiseach proposes double child benefit payment every August | BreakingNews.ie

Taoiseach Simon Harris has proposed a permanent double child benefit payment every August in a bid to gain votes from hard-pressed families.

In a post on Instagram, he said: “A double child benefit payment every August to help parents with costs, particularly around the costs of schools and the additional costs parents often face over the summer.

“All parents will also see a double child benefit payment this December.

“Please share to spread the word. I need your support for Fine Gael so I can get on with delivering on this agenda.”

It comes as his coalition leader in Fianna Fáil has pledged to reduce inheritance tax to 25 per cent and raise the thresholds for paying it.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said children should not be punished because the value of their parents’ home increases.

The tax-free threshold for inheriting from a parent rose to €400,000 in the budget.

Micheál Martin has also said he wants the 33 per cent rate of tax beyond that to fall.

On Tuesday, he said house prices will begin to moderate when the number of homes being built each year increases to 45,000.

Prices should start to moderate at around 45,000 or 50,000 houses a year or by the year 2027 or 2028, the Fianna Fáil leader said on Tuesday.

He made the comments while canvassing at Sundrive Shopping Centre in Kimmage with Dublin South-Central candidate Catherine Ardagh.

Mr Martin was asked why house prices continued to rise at around 10 per cent a year despite a ramp up in supply over the term of government.

Mr Martin said supply had not risen far enough to respond to a rising population.

“There’s more and more people looking for housing in densely populated areas and where we need to be more successful in the future is in brownfield sites, in proving the viability of brownfield sites and in modern methods of construction to get houses built faster.”

He said economists all agree that supply is key to tackling the housing crisis but the State had not reached a high enough point to bring down prices.

Asked at what point prices will start to come down, Mr Martin said: “Certainly 45,000/50,000 per annum.”

When asked if this would be by 2027 or 2028, he said “I would like to see prices moderating at least, yes.”