Renua Ireland plans to field 18 candidates in the Republic's upcoming general election, leader Lucinda Creighton has revealed.
Launching the fledgling party's manifesto yesterday, Ms Creighton said no party would have a clear-cut majority after the election.
She said Renua’s core principle was to reward work with a flat tax of 23 per cent, with the former Fine Gael minister insisting that if a flat rate tax was good enough for businesses, it was good enough for people.
Ms Creighton said there would be tax cuts for those who had difficulty affording childcare, alongside a commitment to invest €1 billion in a network of community crèches.
The Renua Ireland leader denied her party was "anti-poor and anti-public sector", despite advocating a reduction in public sector pensions and forcing people to work 20 hours a week to get unemployment benefits.
Ms Creighton insisted those at the bottom would be better off if her party were in government but said incentivising increased performance in public sector workers was a key party policy.
Motor tax would be abolished and replaced by a fuel levy, and there would also be reform of the local government system and directly elected mayors in every council area.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Creighton said Renua's aim was to simplify the tax system and reduce the number of tax rates, which she described as anti-competitive, anti-business and anti jobs.
"We've gone to great lengths in developing this proposal of a flat rate of income tax to ensure that firstly, those on and beneath the minimum wage will be absolutely protected," she said.
"So the various supports that exist, family income supplement, child benefit and so on, would be protected but really this is about the people who are earning low, middle income salaries, who will benefit substantially."
