Brian Keegan: Very difficult to secure targeted reliefs in budget from soaring inflation via income tax measures

The priority for next month's budget should be to increase existing targeted supports for individuals

While everyone feels the impact of inflation, particularly fuel price inflation, the better off are relatively unscathed compared with their lower earning neighbours. 

Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys remarked last week that you would need to be an octopus to hold onto all of the kites that are being flown, in terms of what her Government might or might not do on budget day to tackle the cost of living pressures being driven by inflation.

The political consensus that the lot of the citizen has to be improved crosses all the party divides.