Raising the betting tax to fund sports and culture initiatives would break down barriers to participation in our most vulnerable communities, according to Social Democrats Dublin Central byelection candidate Councillor Daniel Ennis, and the party\u2019s children\u2019s spokesperson, Aidan Farrelly TD.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the launch of the party\u2019s sports and culture policy, Councillor Ennis said:<\/p>\n
\u201cSport is one of the most powerful tools we have in terms of intervention, integration and bettering yourself. It\u2019s about time it receives adequate funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Dublin\u2019s North Inner City, sport builds friendships and resilience, brings together communities, and in some cases even saves lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s past time we break down the barriers to sports and culture initiatives, especially in areas marred by poverty and disadvantage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy Farrelly said:<\/p>\n
\u201cParticipation in sport and physical activity can assist the achievement of both health and social goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaximising participation levels in sport and recreation is key not only for keeping people active, but also in the fight against obesity, the sustaining of communities, the integration of people from diverse backgrounds, and the promotion of mental well-being.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor too long, the arts have suffered chronic underinvestment – we have among the lowest levels of arts funding as a percentage of national income in Europe. Capital investment in arts and culture, while important, must be carefully balanced with current investment in the work of arts practitioners.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy raising the betting tax from 2 per cent to 5 per cent that will unlock the potential to raise in excess of \u20ac165 million per year to fund a programme of capital grants in sports clubs in disadvantaged areas and create a \u20ac150 Sports and Cultural Activity voucher for all children.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will ensure that no child is prevented from taking part in a sport and or cultural activity due to the burden of prohibitive costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
May 11th, 2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Raising the betting tax to fund sports and culture initiatives would break down barriers to participation in our most vulnerable communities, according to Social Democrats Dublin Central byelection candidate Councillor Daniel Ennis, and the party\u2019s children\u2019s spokesperson, Aidan Farrelly TD. Speaking at the launch of the party\u2019s sports and culture policy, Councillor Ennis said: \u201cSport […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[396,675,554,725,793,683],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aidan-farrelly","category-arts","category-daniel-ennis","category-dublin","category-dublin-central-by-election","category-sports"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n