asked the Minister for Finance the cost to the Exchequer of increasing the tax-free allowance for married women at work to £5 per week.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Married Women's Tax-free Allowance.
13.
The estimated cost of giving the increased allowance suggested by the Deputy would be of the order of £3 million in a full year.
Will the Minister agree that such an increase is very much needed in present circumstances and will he consider favourably increasing to £5 the allowance for married women?
With regard to the first part of the supplementary, I would have grave doubts about it and any Deputy representing an area where there is substantial unemployment would also have some doubt about it.
Would the Minister possibly have the basis of the computation in the form of the number of eligible married women? Could he give us an idea as to how the figure of £3 million is arrived at?
I am afraid I have not got that information here.
Would the Minister indicate how he is going to combat the unemployment situation in Waterford city?