Still only an Apple short of another austerity budget

Anyone who sat through the Oireachtas banking inquiry sessions last year will be able to tell you all about stamp duty and the role it played during the boom years.

They’ll be able to speak about the dangers of over-relying on windfall taxes and the perils of leaning on temporary forms of revenue to deliver political promises.

Tax derived from a housing bubble was used to offset cuts to income tax. When the bubble popped, the country was caught short and the pain began.