Health service funding is the main Budget priority for women according to a survey of employees. The economy and infrastructure rank higher among men, writes Dominic Coyle.

Two-thirds of respondents said they would be prepared to pay an additional tax as long as it was ring-fenced for health purposes, although most limited the amount to €20 a month or less. PAYE employees currently pay a health levy on all earnings.

The main fear of employees according to the recruitireland.com survey is that the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, will increase their personal tax rates. However, the Minister is on record as saying he will not reverse his tax policy of recent years.

A considerable number of the 457 people polled, 88 per cent, said that tax revenues were not spent in the best way with three-quarters worried that the state of the economy was worsening despite the recent positive flow of economic data.

There was also support for an increase in incentives for first-time buyers and a cap on profits in the housing sector, though little indication of how this might be achieved.

Among the issues ranking lowest with the group responding to the online poll was social welfare, with just 4.2 per cent rating it a top priority compared with 36.2 per cent for the economy and 30 per cent for health.

On the other hand 62.7 per cent of respondents said they thought old age pensioners did not get a large enough slice of the budgetary cake.

On related issues, there was significant support for the policy of naming all tax evaders in the media.