Call for tougher fiscal policies

IRELAND may have to tighten fiscal policy further to put its economy back on an even keel, a senior Fitch Ratings official has said.

Fitch’s head of EMEA Sovereign and Global Economics Brian Coulton, said in an interview with Reuters yesterday that the outlook for Ireland remained negative, meaning there “is a greater than even chance that the rating will come down”.

“They have to take further tightening measures to prevent the deficit from blowing out even more,” Mr Coulton said.