The Stockbrokers favourite Political Editor, Pat Leahy, has written this piece. He’s entitled to his opinion. But not his own facts.
Ireland became more unequal in 2019 according to the CSO, the ESRI and Social Justice Ireland.

Some facts: Inequality in Ireland means the top 10% have more income than the bottom 40% combined.
Market Income Inequality has risen since 1987, leaving Ireland with the highest rate in the EU 28.

The good news is that our tax system does the most to address income inequality in the EU. Lifting us from the bottom to mid table.
Whilst this is crucial in lifting hundreds of thousands of households out of poverty, it is far from ideal.

In 2019 this system of needing some sort of “social transfer” - FIS, HAP, Child Benefit etc - resulted in an INCREASE of inequality and deprivation of 143k people. A total of 886k ppl, 200k of whom are children experienced deprivation in Pat’s Ireland in 2019.

34.4% of renters live in deprivation in 2019. Up from 27% in 2018.
18% of people experienced enforced deprivation. People with disabilities have a deprivation rate of 43%.

Ireland has done a reasonable job of reducing inequality since 2013. While market income inequality hasn’t reduced the tax system does the heavy lifting. But that heavy lifting gives us the working poor, the gig economy, our locked out generation and more. But Pat says No.