The Social Democrats' manifesto, launched this morning, commits the alliance to ending child poverty and the housing crisis and building a functional national health service.
The 60-page document says the group's policies would help SMEs create 100,000 jobs and would build what it calls a community banking sector.
The Social Democrats claim both Fine Gael and Labour are proposing a massive erosion of the tax base despite warnings from a growing number of bodies and individuals in Ireland and abroad at a time when there is no economic safety net after years of austerity.
The party's plan would involve maintaining the tax base to ensure that higher than usual levels of State funding were available for its proposals.
Party 'will reduce childcare costs by one third'
Social Democrat joint-leader Róisín Shortall has pledged to cut childcare costs by one third if her party get into power after the General Election.
Ms Shortall explained that childcare costs would be reduced for parents by a government subsidy aimed at childcare providers.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the former Labour TD said: "We want to provide opportunity for everybody and ensure that everybody can live their life with dignity."
The party is running 14 candidates nationally and said it would also cut prescription charges and provide free primary education - including books and transport.
Ms Shortall also pledged to abolish the Health Service Executive and replace it with a new "single-tier health service" that treated people by their need for treatment and not, as she put it, their ability to pay.
She said the Social Democrats, in power, would within ten years introduce an Exchequer-funded healthcare service, similar to the UK's NHS, at a cost of "about €1bn".
Ms Shortall added that Irish Water should be "abolished and reconstituted" as a strategic body that would remain in public ownership. Water charges would also be abolished.
The party is not proposing to increase any taxes. Ms Shortall says the current tax base should be used to invest in services.
The Social Democrats are not ruling out going into coalition with any other group or party.
Listen to Ms Shortall's interview with Cathal Mac Coille here...
Analysis: David Davin Power
The Social Democrats are led by TDs Catherine Murphy, Roisin Shortall and Stephen Donnelly and are fielding 14 candidates.
They say the party’s manifesto is not a shopping list of election promises, with Donnelly accusing the big parties of "disgraceful" auction politics that would erode the tax base.
Instead the group said there would be only minor changes in the tax system with the priority on maintaining that base to fund the economy for any future shocks.
Another priority is reducing the cost of living which would see the abolition of water charges; here though the Social Democrats argue that putting more money back in people's pockets would stimulate growth.
With polls showing the current Government short of a majority, the group may find themselves in negotiations post election but insist they will not be a political mudguard for the big parties.
