Budget 2017: This could also be referred to as the Apple budget and here’s why

The 2017 budget — the first since the inconclusive general election — may yet become known as the second Apple budget because of the unexpected role corporate tax bounties has played in funding spending increases and tax cuts over the last two years.

Yesterday’s budget was framed just months after the general election returned a minority-led administration.

A year ago, just a few months away from the election, Finance Minister Michael Noonan infamously rolled two budgets into a single big fiscal package. Just days before presenting his official budget in the Dáil, the finance minister unveiled a spending package that rivalled anything seen during the boom years.