President’s tax claim ‘not a political intervention’

Tánaiste Joan Burton has denied that President Michael D Higgins crossed a constitutional line by opposing large-scale tax cut promises, after one party said his remarks were an endorsement of their policies.

President Higgins took issue with the varied promises being made by parties to cut taxes if put elected.

In what some saw as an unprecedented intervention, he questioned whether it was possible to have a “decent society” and at the same time lower taxes to secure “short-term benefit”.