People Before Profit/United Left Alliance candidate for Dun Laoghaire, Richard Boyd Barrett commented:  "For hundreds of thousands of people the reality of this Finance Bill is already beginning to bite with the introduction this month of the Universal Social Charge. Once again it is clear that this government's operating principle, at all times, is to make ordinary working people pay for this crisis. It is too complicated to tax the obscene bonuses of the bankers who created this crisis but it's a national priority to attack wages, social welfare and the minimum wage.

"We also need to be absolutely clear about this, Fine Gael and Labour have colluded with this government by allowing the Finance bill to be passed. You cannot oppose the bill out of one side of your month and facilitate its passing out of the other."

Cllr Clare Daly, Socialist Party and United Left Alliance candidate for Dublin North added:  "Regardless of the passing of the Finance Bill by the Dáil there must be a massive campaign to reverse the disastrous policies it enshrines throughout the General Election campaign and afterwards. Assuming this Bill is made law this weekend Fine Gael and the Labour Party needn't think they can easily implement it on the basis that it is a done deal because it was voted through by a discredited government."