NOW HE’S BOSS, WILL LEO STILLHELPSELF-EMPLOYED?

QI am self-employed and my income has dropped dramatically. Can I get Jobseeker’s Benefit if I’m not making enough to live on? And what if I fall ill as I am under a lot of stress? Wasn’t Leo Varadkar going to do something about the lack of benefits for the self-employed before he left the Department of Social Protection? Are these going to fall by the wayside now he is Taoiseach?

AMaybe not. He’s in an even better position to follow through on what he said and get a better deal for self-employed people, following his election as Taoiseach.

Research commissioned by him when he was minister for social protection found most self-employed people wanted better benefits for illness and unemployment – even if it means paying extra PRSI.

Mr Varadkar launched the results of this survey with a press conference where he made it very clear that he wanted to revamp the whole PRSI system to plug the gap in cover between the PAYE and self-employed sectors.

He has already brought in some reforms since then. And now that he is Taoiseach, he is perfectly placed to grant his own wish and finish the job via Regina Doherty, his successor in the Department of Social Protection. In March, Mr Varadkar rolled out benefits for the self-employed in terms of dental and eye treatment. The department’s Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical and aural services to qualified people.

From March 2017, it was extended to cover the self-employed. But if you are getting treatment, contact the department to check out your eligibility before going ahead with it. More benefits for the selfemployed are set to follow, such as free spectacles and the restoration of ‘scale and polish’ dental treatment.

Mr Varadkar also signaled that invalidity payments would apply to the selfemployed later this year, without any need to pay extra PRSI.

Unemployment and sickness benefits are expected to be improved for selfemployed people in the next budget in October, but this would also involve an increase in PRSI contributions.

As things stand, the self-employed currently pay Class S PRSI at 4% and, as you point out, get little for it apart from pension entitlements.

Class S PRSI only covers you for certain social welfare payments and these don’t include Jobseeker’s Benefit. But you may qualify if you have built up cover through having other forms of employment over the past four years. Check your PRSI record with your local Intreo or social welfare office.

You may get Jobseeker’s Allowance instead if you pass a means test. You don’t have to close your business or stop working to get this, although you might qualify for a reduced allowance if your income is below a certain level.

QI drive a 1.3 petrol 09 car (a Skoda Roomster) for which I pay about €560 road tax per year. My neighbour drives a much bigger diesel and pays around €300 per year. Yet in the Irish Daily Mail, there was a supplement on diesel fumes, highlighting their negative impact on our health. I cycle to work and the smell of diesel fumes from cars is often sickening. Why are they given such favourable tax treatment?

AGood question. Traditionally diesel has been given an easy ride on taxation because it is used by commercial vehicles and is a bit more fuel-efficient than petrol, even if it is even more of a pollutant.

Yet, as you and our sister paper highlighted, there is a growing awareness of the health risks of breathing in diesel fumes.

A hike in excise duty on diesel was predicted for last year’s budget due to these growing concerns but it did not materialise.

It may well be introduced in the next budget in October, however, as pressure continues to build to improve our air quality.