If I become President I will give up to €100,000 of my pay to good causes
Craughwell begins campaign with salary pledge
A PRESIDENTIAL candidate is willing to donate more than €100,000 of his salary if elected.
Senator Gerard Craughwell said if he becomes President he would donate the pay to worthwhile causes.
Describing the current presidential salary of €250,000 a year as “outrageous”, he said it was more than he would have ever dreamt of, referring to his previously employment as a security officer or as a soldier.
He added: “You work damn hard for minimum wage so I can understand people’s annoyance.
“I would use the salary to support causes that I believe a worthy and one of those would be for ex-servicemen, the organisation of ex-servicemen who have been treated very badly by the State.” Mr Craughwell said he would like to maximise the tax benefit of donations to organisations like this.
Speaking to Eamon Keane on WLRFM Deise, the Independent candidate said: “I earn €66,000 a year here as a Senator, I’m not hungry and I don’t suffer. I certainly could see €100,000 of the salary, possibly more.
“The presidency needs to be refocused, inward-looking in Ireland, looking at some of the serious issues there are in this country that I won’t deny that the incumbent has mentioned from time to time, but I think we need to do more than mention the issues.”
On Tuesday President Higgins confirmed his intentions to seek a second term in office even though he gave a commitment when first elected that he would not seek to be re-elected.
Senator Craughwell has described the decision as a strategic move in order to eliminate the possibility of an election and said he was deeply disappointed and angered by the timing of the announcement.
Sinn Fein is set to decide at its ard comhairle on Saturday whether to nominate a candidate.
Party leader Mary Lou Mcdonald said the time is right to have a “national conversation” in terms of women and young people in society.
The country will go to the polls in October to decide the next occupant of the Aras.