Alan Healy: Tax cuts? Wait until next year

In the end, Paschal Donohoe and Jack Chambers chose to steer a course through choppy seas made up of warnings about overspending, households under pressure, and businesses facing rising costs and the threats of closure.

Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe at the Department of Finance, Government Buildings. Photo: Sasko Lazarov/© RollingNews.ie

BUDGET 2026 was pitched as an investment in the future, promising jobs, prosperity, and stability.

Yet for Irish businesses, the reality is they must adopt a wait-and-see approach. This is because some key measures will not be taking effect until well into next year.