Budget 2020: Constraints show wealth tax is vital

On Tuesday, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe introduced Budget 2020. A set piece of the political year a budget is rarely radical. Surprise is unusual though, thanks to Charlie McCreevey, not unprecedented.

The process is susceptible to international uncertainty. Our small island economy is no longer almost a kind of flotsam and jetsam struggling to make headway on the wild seas of international, tax-efficient commerce. EU membership offers us an anchor — even if that anchor is sometimes very heavy.