{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"","title":"Should the fiscal watchdog be anxious? Many others are. American psycho?","description":"In this episode:
- Chris argues the Irish government is spending too much of temporary corporation tax revenue on permanent commitments, citing IFAC’s warning that the state is spending six out of every seven euros from corporation tax.
Jim pushes back on the budget politics
- saying ministers faced strong departmental pressure and that the six percent spending target, even if imperfect, may be a reasonable outcome in context.
Tax policy gets a mixed verdict:
- both agree the budget was better for taxpayers than last year, but Chris says the increases in thresholds and credits still lag inflation and do not restore real purchasing power.
Capital gains tax is singled out as a growth lever
- with Jim welcoming the cut from 33 percent to 31 percent but arguing it should eventually return to 20 percent.
Irish inflation is still running hot
- with Jim noting September CPI at 4.1 percent, driven by mortgage interest, electricity, and home heating oil rather than the domestic economy.
Manufacturing output shows a split economy
- , with overall output up 5.8 percent year on year, but the modern sector down 6.8 percent while the traditional sector edged up 0.8 percent.
The conversation turns to youth mental health
- after Chris cites a UK report showing a 50 percent increase in reported autism and ADHD among young people since 1993.
They connect mental distress to wider social pressures
- including long waiting lists, NEET levels, poverty, housing, screen addiction, environmental anxiety, war, and fear of AI-driven job loss.
Jim argues intergenerational inequality is worsening
- saying many young people expect to be less well off than their parents because they struggle to build assets, especially through housing.
Inheritance tax becomes a flashpoint
- with Jim calling it reprehensible and arguing for a far larger increase or abolition, while Chris notes that only 4% of estates in the UK actually pay any inheritance tax.
US politics comes under fire
- especially the planned live-streaming of a firing squad execution and restrictions on skilled immigration through H1B and green card sponsorship pathways.
A provocative argument about porn and social media
- suggests modern platforms inherited their attention-grabbing mechanics from the porn industry, helping explain addictive scrolling and algorithmic design.
The Green Party’s momentum appears to have collapsed
- with Chris and Jim noting Zack Polanski’s by-election setback and criticising the party’s shift away from environmental politics toward hard-left activist positions.
","author_name":"Jim Power & Chris Johns"}