Fiscal balance

Inattention to the deficit syndrome – how Northern Ireland spends more than it earns

Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on March 13, 2015, 6:57 pm | Readers 2950

Today’s public sector strike reflects widespread antipathy towards what was agreed in the Stormont House Agreement. Traditionally trade unions have been supportive of agreements made between local parties, and as Eamonn McCann points out, this is the first time that trade unions have opposed a deal. There is certainly a lot of anger on issues such as redundancies and cuts to services, but it is important to bear in mind the reason why the fiscal measures outlined in the Stormont …

Fiscal apocalypse: Northern Ireland spending exceeds tax by 39.3% of its GDP

Mick Fealty on February 14, 2012, 11:01 am | Readers 101

There’s been a lot of complaining, mostly though not entirely from the SDLP, and certainly the unions, that OFMdFM ought to be fighting a better fight with Whitehall, and in particular HM Treasury… Well, according to Douglas McWilliams (H/T reader Stuart), here’s what Sammy Wilson is up against when it gets close and personal with Mr Osborne’s traditionalist team: In the UK there is considerable variance in tax receipts as a share of GDP between regions – from Northern Ireland where …