Opposition slams Irish budget as lacking ambition and unfair to workers
Opposition TDs criticised the government's new budget, calling it an insult to workers and a plan favouring the well-off.
During a budget presentation in the Dáil, ministers Simon Harris and Jack Chambers outlined a €1.3 billion personal income-tax package and modest carbon-tax cuts, but omitted one-off credits. Opposition figures slammed the plan: Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty said the €750 tax relief mainly helps higher-paid workers, leaving over 1.5 million earners with under €250 in savings, which he termed an insult. Social Democrat Cian O’Callaghan criticised the lack of new ideas and the government’s failure to engage with public-sector unions amid industrial action.
Labour TD Ged Nash warned that the budget does nothing to ease soaring electricity bills, while People Before Profit’s Paul Murphy labelled it a budget for the affluent and landlords. Independent TD Paul Gogarty added a colourful remark, likening the budget to “more Westlife than Fontaines D.C.”, suggesting it offers popular but superficial measures.
Why it matters
The budget shapes tax relief and public spending, affecting millions of Irish workers and households facing a cost-of-living crisis.
In this story
Related stories
12 in this thread