Trojan horse Budget

FINANCE MINISTER Charlie McCreevy has been accused of rolling the Trojan horse of decentralisation into the Budget to distract attention from dragging an additional 62,000 taxpayers into the highest tax bracket.

In an unanticipated move, Mr McCreevy used his Budget speech to announce the most ambitious Government decentralisation programme in the history of the State.

In all, eight Government departments and the Office of Public Works will be based outside Dublin. It will mean the relocation of 10,300 civil servants from Dublin to 53 centres around the country.