Abolish ‘farce’ of Budget Day, urges Fine Gael

THE Budget Day charade must be abolished and replaced by an annual Finance Bill that would provide more long-term strategic planning, Fine Gael’s finance spokesman Richard Bruton said yesterday.

The 2004 Finance Bill, due to debated in the Dáil tomorrow, must include a proposal to end the farce of Budget Day, Mr Bruton said.

He also called for the annual Finance Bill to replace the Budget Day to ensure the annual spending is proofed and subjected to value for money audits.