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COALITION LEADERS ARE meeting with Finance Minister Michael McGrath and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe this evening to get an update on budget negotiations.
Ahead of the meeting, McGrath told Fianna Fáil colleagues that he believes the “core Budget” and the one-off measures in it “will make a real difference”.
He added that it will be a “good” budget, “notwithstanding the volatility in the international markets”.
TDs are said to have spoken out about the rise in excise duties and to have expressed “strong views” that the reversal of excise cuts to petrol and diesel due to occur on 31 October should be deferred.
Cabinet ministers have been meeting with McGrath and Donohoe this week to make their case for their respective departments ahead of next Tuesday’s Budget Day.
Sources have described the bilateral meetings with the ministers that hold the purse strings as “tough”, with one minister stating that the expectation level of the public hasn’t a hope of being met.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stated yesterday that meetings would be taking place throughout the week, adding that it would be Sunday before any decisions were finalised.
At tonight’s Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting, the Taoiseach updated his party colleagues on budget matters.
Varadkar said the budget “was still coming together” and that remaining issues will be worked out at further meetings between the party leaders at the weekend.
He also stated that the budget will have a USC package that “rewards work and puts money back in people’s pockets”.
Varadkar added that this would include a cost of living package that people will see the benefit of before Christmas.
However, he cautioned that the budget would have to take account of “prevailing economic circumstances, such as inflation”.
Meanwhile, Minister Donohoe told colleagues that the most recent corporation tax receipts, which declined by 12% in September, would not alter budget planning as this work had already been undertaken.
McGrath told the Fianna Fáil party that there was a need to “get inflation down to 2%” and added that from a tax perspective, there will be an “emphasis” on small to medium businesses.
He added that Ireland is in a “strong position” and is able to spend more on infrastructure and to “provide for the future”.
“There are clear challenges in Social Protection and Health, which are being worked through,” he said.
“There will be a fair distribution of benefits for low and middle income workers. There will be an emphasis on small to medium indigenous businesses too. Existing schemes will be improved to ensure they are fit for purpose.
“On housing, our spending commitment will continue, with a focus on supply, making better use of existing stock and ensuring a supply of rental properties,” said McGrath.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin commented that there was “more room for manoeuvre last year” but expressed his support for the budget’s ability to deliver.
The Tanáiste noted the launch of Sinn Féin’s alternative budget launched today, noting that the party would scrap the Help to Buy schemes which would hit first time buyers.
-With additional reporting from Diarmuid Pepper
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open blank cheque book for the NGO’s and open border scammers
every1 else gotta fight over crumbs
@empty: plenty of sofas available we’ll start renting them next for Irish citizens they come second now
@Paddy C:
3rd and 4th
What are the criteria for having the comments open?
@Louis Jacob: it seems like they are turning off comments on more and more. Also on very ‘tame’ topics. Maybe hoping we won’t notice when all comments are disabled.
@Louis Jacob: I was hoping they would just turn all the comments off so I can delete the app.. I’m only here for the comments
@Louis Jacob: when people can behave themselves
@Alan Hickey: there’s some form of irony in having comments off for their debunked articles. One can only assume they fear commentators will factually debunk their stance on a topic. They usually cherry pick nuggets of info to try back up their opinion.
One off measures – buying votes
@Bren: won’t buy many votes with the USC reduction which equates to a €110 a year reduction for those on the “average wage” of 45k
“Well shaft the worker (AGAIN!!) , look after the rich lads and give more to the lazy.
@Bryan: the govts historical income tax take:
2016 – 21b;
2017 – 22b;
2018 – 23.5b;
2019 – 25.6b;
2021 – 29.4b;
2022 – 33.6b;
Over THIRTY THREE BILLION last year!!!!! 50% more in 2022 than in 2017. Why are we still forced to pay USC which generated 5b last year or 4b in 2016 for comparison. Joke of a country! Taxing it’s people into poverty while generating excessive amounts to waste!
Seriously though the government could start a sofa bed rent scheme where people rent sofabeds in sitting rooms at night 11pm-7am and charge whatever at this rate I wouldnt put it past them they have destroyed generations futures and continue to do so they actually even probably wouldn’t see anything wrong with that they’re that out of touch with reality and because it won’t be in they’re houses or areas and they won’t be effected so what if it effects others
Send in the clowns
Really looking forward to this budget, one for the taxpayer. Leo made a promise 4 years ago that the 20% band would rise to 50k by the end of this government’s term. We can expect a sizeable jump towards that this time round. Along with usc removal the taxpayer should be quite happy with next weeks budget.
@Fintan Stack: You’re deluded Fintan….50% higher tax take than 2017 and they won’t completely remove USC. They’re already priming the people by spreading fear through the media thay corporate taxes are down this quarter and aw forecast to drop is a lie at best. They’ll do what they always do, a few FFG ‘schemes’ and one off measures to placate the plebs and short sighted and if you’re lucky you’ll save €200/year in direct taxes but they’ll get that back in other areas. FFG have zero interest in meaningfully helping the people of Ireland
@Journal Factchecker: it was kind of tongue in cheek :)
Heading for a fall (not the season) tighten the aul belts.
Folk on the welfare?
Not even a mention.. sigh, they should rename it the social farewell.
@Mary Looners:
I hope nobody (who through no fault of their own) that’s on disability takes offemce Mary.
@Mary Looners: another ejit buying into the full employment bs .
Chancers.
Ffg Thatcherite Tory wannabes.
How on earth did the Irish people vote for them. ??
@The boot: We didn’t, we voted FG out of government in the last election but Mehole didn’t want to be the only FF leader never to be Taoiseach so he shafted the country and did a deal with Leo.
After the next election they can go crawling to the EU or UN for a new job after showing them how they have been such good boys. NATO might have something for them as well.
A recession is on the horizon I hope these idiots have factored that in by now if one hits and a lot of US companies pull out which could also be the case if trump gets in our tax take will be in big trouble as it’s heavily dependent on it
@Paddy C: Don’t worry the SF money tree will take care it – or more than likely use the recession as an excuse.
@sammcalester@hotmail.co.uk: the same money tree paying for the water meters? Or the children’s hospital, or the dail printer, the metro. Funny we never hear about money trees then. How much was spent during Covid giving us all leaflets in Irish? Or on useless ppe. Maybe they used SF money tree to buy the flip flops for RTÉ.
@sammcalester@hotmail.co.uk: Would that be the money tree FFG stated didn’t exist, Well FFG certainly found it when politically necessary, or the borrowing FFG stated would be imprudent? ..Well FFG borrowed..Adding to the Billions owed when the banks were bailed out . Hypocrisy at it’s best.
@Donal Desmond: Nothing wrong with paying for water if it prevents waste and produces a better service. Thanks to SF and the other populists there are big houses on the Navan Road and Donegal watering their gardens free of charge. Leaflets in Irish are a case of the tail wagging the dog and SF are not going to change it. Who is pushing it the North to have street names in Irish?
The overspend on the children’s hospital cannot be condoned. If and when SF are in government it will be interesting to see if change will be for better or worse. Looking North or towns with SF majority councils it will be the latter
@sammcalester@hotmail.co.uk: you must be smoking crack if you think paying for water will give us a better service. It’ll be privatised before you can say Irish water, and then we’ll end up like the uk, paying the shareholders while nothing improves, dumping untreated water into the rivers and then after a few years of paying out huge dividends then say sorry we need to double your bills to upgrade the networks
God will the blather about the budget never end?
Can’t rely on big Pharma and the Tech Giants forever, probably a big blip if Trump gets into office, but there is not going to be a lot for normal working folk in the Budget, we are at full employment, no one is idling in the country unless their between jobs or waiting for the OAP pension to kick in.
Same all… but that’s normal as it’s same government with same politicians in power. Why hope anything
Surely they can’t mess this one up!
have your say