Noonan and Howlin get the excuses in early

Budget 2013 is a reforming piece of work, particularly in the area of pensions and a property tax, believes Finance Minister Michael Noonan.

“People have been talking about a property tax all my life since it was abolished in the late-1970s. There has also been a huge number of reforms in public sector and private pensions,” he said at a press conference following the budget.

Mr Noonan said the Government had three objectives for this budget: To stop “piling debt on top of debt”, frame a budget that would not cost jobs and continue with tax rises and spending cuts in as fair a manner as possible.