A pay increase planned for politicians and public servants has been criticised as being badly-timed.
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín was speaking as pay rises are due to kick in next week.
Under the changes TDs will earn just under €109,000, while the salary of the Taoiseach and Tánaiste will exceed €233,000 and €215,000 respectively.
Deputy Tobin told The Pat Kenny Show he believes there should be no increase.
"There's 670,000 people who are in poverty in this State at the moment," he said.
"Right now there's 250,000 people going into arrears on their electricity bills, and we have about 160,000... who are in arrears on their gas bills.
"We also have the State and the Government warning everybody else in relation to their incomes to be very, very careful, that we have very high inflation.
"We know that increasing salaries is a pull factor in terms of inflation.
"Then as a State we do have a massive debt; and there's a little bit of largesse here being shown by politicians in terms of pay increases in the face of that significant national debt."
'A L'Oréal experience'
Deputy Tobin said the Government could allow those who want to opt out.
"Telling a person who's a Sec-Gen of a Department and earning well over €200,000 - there's a little bit of a L'Oréal experience here: that you're going to get the pay increase because you're worth it anyways," he said.
"I don't think that's the correct way."
"I do think TDs should be paid well... but I think it does not make sense at this stage for those incomes to be increasing continually," he said.
"I do understand it's part of an agreement, but the Government is in a position to legislate.
"The Government could legislate to make sure that TDs, if they wanted to, would not increase their salaries at this moment in time."
'Disconnect'
Public Affairs Consultant Gerard Howlin said salaries for politicians should be tied to the public service.
"I say that TDs and Senators and Ministers should be paid, as they have been for decades, at their equivalent rate in the public service," he said.
"The problem is that there has been a disconnect in the last few years since the pay cuts during the crash.
"Those have largely been restored in the public service, and there's a bit of catch up in terms of politics.
"I think TDs deserved to be paid at the same rate as a principal officer [in the Civil Service].
"Most TDs have far more demanding jobs than most principal officers and they have no tenure and no security.
"If you're really concerned about public spending, take a stand on the budget... take a stand in public sector pay negotiations this coming autumn when huge sums of money are at stake.
"I think that's the sort of credible stand we need from politicians on public spending.
"This anti-political politicisation of politics and politicians pay is very, very bad for politics," he added.
