Paul Johnson, a former chair of the Independent Fiscal Commission for Northern Ireland, said water charges could bring in £350 million per year. He told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that while there is “not a great deal of keenness to make that change”, it is “a big number” and “would bring Northern Ireland into line with the situation in the rest of the UK”. The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee is considering the sustainability of the region’s public financesGiving evidence to the committee on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said other potential ways of raising revenue were “relatively small”. “There are some aspects of industrial rating which is significantly more generous in Northern Ireland than in England, there are some welfare mitigations which make the welfare system in Northern Ireland somewhat more generous than in England – prescription charges is quite small, £20 million or so,” he told MPs. Earlier, the committee heard that some of Stormont’s budget issues are the “direct result of austerity”.

Source: The Herald November 08, 2023 16:57 UTC