Daniel Murray: Michael McGrath pours cold water on €65bn surpluses but will still splash the cash in Budget 2024

With the budget looming, the government last week engaged in a little expectation management when the finance minister told TDs the expected €65 billion in budget surpluses until 2026 was no longer expected after all.

“The €65 billion figure is not representative of the reality that we expect to develop because non-core expenditure has to be provided for and it’s unlikely to disappear in terms of its need next year or beyond,” Michael McGrath told ...