Health and pension spend will push up debt: OECD

Spending on health and continuing to fund the State pension age at 65 will inevitably add a significant amount to Ireland’s debt, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has said.

In a major report on the Irish economy, the Paris-based organisation effectively laid down challenges to any potential new left-leaning Sinn Féin government by saying it wants regular assessments of the local property tax to take account of changes in house prices and by urging further carbon tax hikes for the country to hit its climate obligations.