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Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland
Budget 2014
"Government is treating this like a giveaway Budget" - Fianna Fáil
Michael McGrath says that voters won’t have a “feel-good factor” after tomorrow’s Budget.
THE FIANNA FÁIL Finance spokesperson has said that the Government has “to come clean” tomorrow.
Michael McGrath said today that he was looking for the Budget to be “clearer and more transparent”, saying that people should be allowed know how they are affected as soon as the documentation is available.
He said that people “generally don’t worry about debt to GDP ratios”, they worry about the things that affect them.
McGrath said that indications from the Government were akin to a giveaway Budget, but dismissed the notion that Fine Gael was bracing itself for the upcoming local and European elections.
“Listening to the spin coming from Government Buildings in recent days, you’d think that there was a giveaway Budget.
It’s not going to be that. The Government are going to have to find cuts and tax increases amounting to €2.5 billion and there hasn’t been many leaks as to where they’re going to come from.
McGrath added that the increase in the Property Tax and incoming charges for water meant that there would “be no feelgood factor” for voters when they vote in the local and European elections next year.
Hugh O’Connell provided additional reporting.
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