The Labour Party has launched a plan to reduce the cost of living for people and increase social welfare rates ahead of the upcoming budget.
Party Finance Spokesperson Ged Nash said Ireland is one of the most expensive countries in the European Union in which to do business and raise a family, especially when it comes to grocery prices broadband prices, telephone prices, rent housing and insurance.
"The cost-of-living crisis is a very real issue for so many families and for far too many people it's a permanent crisis that needs to be addressed by the current Government and whatever Government comes in after the election.
"The next administration needs to declare war on high prices in this country," he said.
Mr Nash said his party is proposing indexation of social welfare rates and income tax rates.
"On social welfare rates we will be proposing at least a 4.5% increase to core social welfare rates because the reality is that spending power of pensioners and of workers has been outpaced by rates of inflation in recent years."
He also said Labour would ensure the minimum wage increases, as well as introducing energy credits of €300 to compensate families for high energy prices.
He said his party would increase the fines the Competition and Consumer Protection can levy for breaches of the law from the current maximum of €5,000.
Labour would also ban automatic annual increases in service contracts for television broadband or mobile services, as has happened in the UK, end dual pricing for services which only benefit new customers, and end financial penalties that hit people who pay for their motor tax in instalments.
"This seems to me be a Government that is in thrall to big business, an open door to big businesses operating here, but it’s not a government that's a fan of smart regulation," he said.
"It’s through systemic changes to regulatory frameworks and to competition and consumer protection where we can get fairer deals for customers. We tend to be the last in Europe to wake up to this."
