OCTOBER’S BUDGET WILL be a cost-of-living budget, according to Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
Speaking to reporters in Cork today, the Taoiseach said the Budget will focus on pressures that are on people, target those at risk of poverty and “people who are in real need”.
“We want to target measures in the forthcoming Budget to those who need it the most. And we want to try and do it in a way that doesn’t stoke inflation further,” said Martin.
“The cost-of-living issue is a very significant issue with people and there’s a lot of pressure on people,” he stated.
Despite calls from the opposition to have a mini-Budget prior to October, the Taoiseach said the Budget is “only a short while away now”, indicating that no new measures will be announced over the summer.
“We’ve begun the exploratory talks with our social partners in respect of a broader package to try and deal with this unprecedented situation in a strategic way… we cannot chase inflation on a week-to-week basis or a month-to-month basis,” he said.
He denied that the Government is out of touch with the reality people are facing into with rising costs.
“I’m meeting people every day of the week, we fully realise how difficult it is, we fully realise it in terms of the impact on people,” said Martin.
The Taoiseach said that inflation has not been this high since the 1970s.
“What we want to avoid is what happened in the 1970s, which went on for four decades. We don’t want that happening now into 2000 and 20s. So that’s why first of all, we have taken measures, very significant measures already,” he added.
He said the Summer Economic Statement will show the parameters in which the Budget decisions will be taken.
Asked about the recent calls in Fine Gael to reduce taxes, Martin said:
“Everybody would love cutting everything and reducing costs and so on, of course, but priorities will have to be hammered out by government.” He added that Budget talks will begin shortly.
When asked what the Green Party’s position is on tax cuts, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said:
“I think we’d have to sit down and work with government colleagues. It’s a very difficult economic situation.”
He said Ireland is in an inflationary period that hasn’t been seen in 30 or 40 years, adding “you have to look what’s the correct economic strategy in terms of how do you manage that”.
Ryan said the government wants to “make sure those who are in greatest difficulty, those who do face the greatest problems with food price rise, energy price crisis caused by international factors, we also have to look at their needs”.
Motorists struggling to pay for petrol and diesel or facing other cost-of-living difficulties should contact their local social welfare office for support, said Ryan.
Energy and utility companies have also been instructed to engage with householders in difficulty “in a way that helps them through this period, not just forgotten about so there’s no lack of immediate assistance”, said Ryan.
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