The Green Party's election manifesto proposes major changes in taxation, including the use of energy taxes, extra investment in public transport and cuts in the number of new motorways.
Launching the manifesto, the party's leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, said the Republic needs "a radical change in political thinking" which takes into account the need for a better quality of life and sustainable development.
"We believe that the means to satisfy the basic needs of people in all our constituencies across the country are being endangered by the consensus politics of the old-style politics," he said.
Though promising not to increase income taxes, the Greens plan to increase public spending by raising corporation tax to 15 per cent, imposing a 3 per cent energy tax and a 5 per cent profits levy on financial institutions.
In all, taxes would rise by 0.5 per cent of GDP a year.
The Greens propose that both employees and employers' PRSI payments should be reduced.
"The myth of PRSI as an insurance fund has now all but faded. It is a flat rate tax both on workers and on the privilege of employers employing workers," said the party's manifesto.
However, industries would have to pay higher energy tax bills, though the money raised would be spent on public transport and on energy conservation measures.
Production of electricity from renewable resources should rise to 20 per cent by 2010, while building regulations and construction should meet higher ecological standards.
Opposing incineration and superdumps, the Greens want householders to segregate all waste and companies to cut down on the amount of packaging they use.
In future, the public should be able to donate no more than €650 a year to parties, while corporate donations should stop. Politicians should no longer be able to sit in both the Dáil and on local authorities.
Dublin South candidate Mr Eamon Ryan said the proposed €11 billion investment in roads must be radically altered. "There is no need for 800 km of motorway." Instead, the Greens want "traffic blackspot" towns bypassed, but 70 per cent of the remaining budget should be diverted from roads to public transport, including a rail link from Cork to Derry, via Limerick and Sligo.
"We are talking about shaving hours off commuting, rather than shaving a few minutes off the journey from the Red Cow roundabout in Dublin to the Raheen roundabout in Limerick," Mr Ryan said.
Water fluoridation should cease immediately. Outgoing TD Mr John Gormley said this was non-negotiable. A new Department of Consumer Affairs would take responsibility for food production away from the Department of Agriculture.
On education, efforts should be made to stop children leaving school early, while parents should be granted substantial maternity and paternity leave.
The first-time homebuyers grant should be made available to those buying second-hand houses.
The owners of residential-zoned land should face a windfall tax, while those in possession of derelict sites should be forced to sell to speed up construction.
Tenants should be entitled to one month's notice to quit for each five months of rent paid, while new housing developments should be required to have better services for children.
The National Stadium campus as planned by the Taoiseach should be scrapped and replaced by one to build a 40,000/ 50,000-seater complex available for soccer, rugby and the GAA.
The money left over should be used to fund local sporting facilities and a 50-metre swimming pool in Cork, while sports sponsorship by alcohol companies should be outlawed.
Ireland's Third World aid should rise immediately to the United Nations' 0.7 per cent of GNP target, and to 1 per cent of GNP within five years, while debt owed by the poorest countries should be written off.
