Tánaiste says culture card proposal alive as housing stamp duty debate continues

As the cabinet finalised the upcoming budget, the Tánaiste reiterated that the culture card - a voucher intended to help young people access cultural events - has not been abandoned. He added that the coalition remains united in its intention to aid first-time home buyers, but his personal view on eliminating stamp duty for them remains the same. Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said he is inclined to scrap the duty, whereas Fine Gael’s Simon Harris has previously described such a move as a “bad measure” and a tax cut for developers.

Harris told reporters there were many items on the agenda and his position on the stamp-duty issue was unchanged. When asked whether the culture card was “dead in the water,” he responded that it is a good idea and still alive.