Budget 2016

Unemployed have lost the most across all budgets since 2009

Some of the country’s most vulnerable jobless households fared worst in October’s budget and over all budgets from 2009, a leading think tank has found.

Wed, 16 Dec, 2015

will

The Finance Minister Michael Noonan has drawn another line between Fine Gael and Labour ahead of the election, by reaffirming his plan to abolish the Universal Social Charge (USC).

Mon, 07 Dec, 2015

McDonald: ‘We know that low income families need a break’

Sinn Féin has said its new housing policy will help prevent land hoarding in urban areas and solve the country's housing crisis.

Fri, 04 Dec, 2015

Brendan Howlin defends budget addition of €1.5bn to Government spending

The Government are not worse than Fianna Fáil in terms of excessive spending increases, Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin insisted yesterday.

Fri, 27 Nov, 2015

Government failed to take 'prudent financial path' in Budget 2016, says FAC

The Fiscal Advisory Council has criticised the Government's Budget for 2016.

Thu, 26 Nov, 2015

Coalition’s overspend of €1.5bn in budget compared to the boom years by budget watchdog

The country’s budget watchdog said the Coalition’s late decision to spend €1.5bn in additional spending in 2015 was similar to ill-advised decisions taken by previous administrations during the boom years.

Thu, 26 Nov, 2015

High earners 'benefit most from tax changes in the Budget'

More than half the income gains of the last five years have gone to the top tenth of earners, a think tank has stated.

Mon, 09 Nov, 2015

‘We’re just ordinary people who can play rugby reasonably well’, says New Zealand coach Steve Hansen

There was a beautiful episode during the post-match celebrations on the Twickenham pitch which told us much about the 2015 All Blacks, a little cameo which informed us that as well as being the most brilliant exponents of the game that rugby has yet to witness, they possess that same rare champions’ class off the field too.

Mon, 02 Nov, 2015

Hansen: We are all about shared leadership

New Zealand boss Steve Hansen has hailed the durability of “special player” Dan Carter as he prepares to line up in his first Rugby World Cup final.

Fri, 30 Oct, 2015

Vote-buying budgets won’t build economy

Christy Kelly may be right when he points to ‘the drawbacks’ of the budgets ‘over the past seven or eight years’ of austerity as ‘imposing inequitable cuts ... without regard to the social consequences’. [Letters, October 28]. 

Fri, 30 Oct, 2015

Details of Succession Partnerships in Finance Bill

Following on from Budget 2016, the Finance Bill which contains the legislative changes was published in the past week.

Thu, 29 Oct, 2015

Reject Government’s vote-buying attempts and put equality first

Every year when the budget is introduced, its merits and drawbacks are brought into focus.

Tue, 27 Oct, 2015

Budget add-ons good for workers, gay couples and business sector

Just when you might have thought you’d heard the last of the budget, the Finance Bill appears.

Mon, 26 Oct, 2015

Wine: Craft brewers only people happy with Budget 2016

The only people that seem to be happy with Budget 2016 are the craft brewers. 

Sat, 24 Oct, 2015

Group warns that parents may have to pay to hold child's place until free preschool starts

There is a warning that parents may have to pay to hold on to places for their children until the free preschool year kicks in for them.

Mon, 19 Oct, 2015

Budget will help us attract multinational investment

The measures announced in Budget 2016 will be a boon to Irish taxpayers and the economy overall, enhancing take-home pay and giving people a bit more spending power to boost the recovery.

Mon, 19 Oct, 2015

Taoiseach says abolishing USC will bring home young emigrants

The Taoiseach has said Fine Gael's tax policies in the next election will be designed to bring 75,000 emigrants back home.

Sun, 18 Oct, 2015

BUDGET 2016: Budget ‘no impact’ on cost of education

Parents may see improvements in their children’s classrooms but Budget 2016 has done little or nothing to ease the cost of educating them, says the Society of St Vincent de Paul.

Sun, 18 Oct, 2015

BUDGET 2016: Big-screen budget a costly rerun of the Celtic Tiger

The biggest lie of the week is that this Government actually cares about homeless people, writes Shaun Connolly

Sat, 17 Oct, 2015

Further help for firms needed

The Government has been warned that it must do more than has been set out in Budget 2016 to gain the trust of the small business community ahead of the general election.

Sat, 17 Oct, 2015

Joan Burton proposes new rent regulator to tackle rising costs

The Tánaiste Joan Burton has proposed the establishment of a rent regulator.

Fri, 16 Oct, 2015

Fiscal Advisory Council chairman McHale asks why he wasn't given deficit-deal details

The chairman of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has denied being put back in his box by the Department of Finance, and said the bigger issue was why the spending watchdog did not have access to all the information surrounding the budget deficit.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

Over €800 Budget gain for average family farm

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said Tuesday’s Budget measures such as a new self-employed tax credit of €550, and USC reductions, will mean over €800 in additional net income, or 3.5%, based on the average 2014 National Farm Survey family farm income of €26,974.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

Row flares over budget and EU spending rules

A row about whether the Coalition is playing fast and loose with the EU’s spending rules flared yesterday after the chair of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council signalled it continues to have serious concerns about the spending plans of Budget 2016.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

Stephen Cadogan: Foresters and hauliers first to benefit big in changed times

People in haulage and forestry are celebrating after this week’s Budget.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

Budget was about buying election, not fairness for all

There was something for everyone in the audience but is it enough? There is no doubt that this was a budget with an election in mind. On first glance the budget was clearly one that Gay Byrne’s Late Late Show would have been proud of.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

State pension recipients €700 worse off today than in 2009, says charity Alone

Pensioners are facing into another winter of discontent according to the charity Alone, which claimed anyone on a state pension is €700 worse off now than in 2009.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

BUDGET 2016: ‘Nama plan won’t solve housing crisis’

Developer Michael O’Flynn believes Nama’s €4.5bn 20,000 residential unit building programme announced in the budget won’t solve Ireland’s housing shortage.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

BUDGET 2016: Additional investment in early years care and education ‘must not be a once off’

Business group Ibec says the childcare measures in the budget should improve the participation of women in the workforce.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

BUDGET 2016: Coalition accused of hiding €300m ‘tax hike’

Fianna Fáil has claimed the Government’s €595m budget income tax cut is, in reality, half the headline figure because of a hidden €300m “tax hike” only outlined in support documents.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

BUDGET 2016: Enda Kenny: Budget a ‘fork in the road’

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Joan Burton have insisted Budget 2016 offers Ireland a “fork in the road”, by replacing the era of boom and bust with an “affordable and sensible” recovery that allows the country to “breath again”.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

BUDGET 2016: Rich-poor gap ‘widened further’

Social Justice Ireland has savaged the budget, claiming it has added to a widening poverty gap and that the measures are based on “false assumptions”.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

BUDGET 2016: Budget will pass EU test, ministers say

Senior Coalition figures are confident the budget will pass a crucial EU test despite financial advisory chiefs warning the spending plans are too expansionary, and that the money should not be injected into the economy.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

BUDGET 2016: ‘Reverse previous cuts to education’

The need to continue reversals of previous years’ cuts has dominated reaction to the 2016 education budget in which Jan O’Sullivan’s department spent €44m more than this year.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015

Falling between two stools: Budget 2016 lacked one bold gesture

THERE must have come a moment yesterday when the Taoiseach and his senior cabinet ministers asked themselves what more they can do to win the support and affection of the Irish electorate.

Thu, 15 Oct, 2015