Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said Sinn Féin’s $24.2bn (€22bn) spending plan would “destroy jobs” and again ruled out going into coalition with them in the next government.
Sinn Féin proposes that, if elected, it would increase public spending to spend an additional €22bn by 2025.
It also pledged to give away $2.64bn (€2.4bn) in tax reductions every year, and raise $4.18 (€3.8bn) in tax increases every year.
Launching the manifesto in Dublin yesterday, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, said the manifesto is “uplifting and fair”.
Micheál Martin criticized the spending plan and said, if implemented, it would threaten the Irish economy.
“Have you seen their General Election manifesto? They would destroy jobs in this country,” he told RTE radio today.
“I belong to that school of Fianna Fáil, the party that gave people homes, the party that gave people a free education, the party that opened up this country to the world.
“Now we have to do it again, in terms of small to medium-sized enterprises, the bread and butter of this economy.
“People who set up companies who employ 15 people, 20 people, 50 people. That’s who I want to represent.”
“Just look at the Sinn Féin manifesto, it will destroy jobs in this country with that manifesto.
“You can not raise taxes by four billion euro without it having an impact on ordinary people.”
Mr Martin added the economy can not afford to narrow the tax base any further as it needs to guard against potential shocks such as Brexit.
He again ruled out going into Government with Sinn Féin and said he “would stick to his word” on the issue.
“What you underestimate is the depth and the strength of opposition to Sinn Féin within the Fianna Fáil party and among the grassroots and among people who still remember what happened.
“People within Fianna Fáil resent the legacy of Sinn Féin in terms of the gardaí that were attacked and killed and the army.
“People come up to me and they say that,” he said.
“What’s worse is Sinn Féin has never fully apologized for that.
“They endorse it and they want to change the narrative, and they want to shove it down everybody’s throat that it was a just war and so on.
“There are people in my party that tell me unequivocally they would never accept going into government with them and then you add to their record in Northern Ireland where they collapsed the institution for three years.”
Mr Martin said Fianna Fáil would “do business” with other centrist parties such as Labour and the Green Party.
Asked if he was ruling out another confidence and supply deal with Fine Gael he said “we should respect the electorate” and wait for the outcome of the election.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said in response: “We won’t take lectures from the party that wrecked the economy or the one that made ordinary people pay.
“Sinn Féin makes no apologies for seeking to give workers and families a break.
“We make no apologies for asking banks to pay their fair share in tax, because that is the only way to get the revenue needed to end the trolley crisis, build affordable homes, reduce the cost of childcare, put more Gardai on our streets and tackle climate change.”
Speaking to reporters in Clane in Co Kildare today, Mr Martin accused Sinn Féin of trying to “wipe out” small businesses out with their economic plan.
“I want to build up a strong Irish small to medium sized enterprise base in this country and I think the taxation policies of Sinn Féin would wipe it out,” he said.
“Twenty two billion euro worth of expenditure – we were told there is only 11 billion euro available to spend…so in my view, their planned policies do not add up at all and I think it is extra-ordinary manifesto which I think all economists are saying is in no way sustainable and I think it would damage the economy and is quite dangerous.”
“I understand how our economy works as a former business minister in terms of attracting business.
“We export over 90% of what we produce to other countries. We need enterprise to thrive and not to suffocate them.
“Why would someone grow their business if they are going to be clobbered to an extra-ordinary degree by the kind of taxation proposals that Sinn Féin are proposing.
“This is not a war of words, this is very fundamental in terms of how our economy is going to work in a globalized world.
“We have to earn income and wealth by channeling our goods and services abroad and that is what attracts business and companies to Ireland.”