Budget 2005 - Public service must get its act together

UPBEAT forecasts on Ireland’s steadily improving economic and fiscal health are fuelling speculation that Finance Minister Brian Cowen can afford to be generous when he unveils Budget 2005 next month.

With one economist after another telling us the Celtic Tiger is again striding vigorously through the land, hopes are mounting that the new minister will take positive steps to ease the tax burden on low-paid workers while, at the same time, introducing an expansionist Budget.

The latest outlook report from Bank of Ireland could not be more optimistic. It depicts a booming economy, where the housing market is strong, where consumer spending is set to rise, exports and investment are thriving and inflation is running at an average of 2% in the first nine months of 2004.