We need a big-picture budget like no other

Analysis: Budget 2021 must be about Paschal Donohoe and Michael McGrath assembling a coherent response to the coronavirus crisis

Paschal Donohoe listens to his Fianna Fáil counterpart Michael McGrath at Government Buildings. Picture: Julien Behal

Budget 2021 will be like nothing that came before it. The Budget Day rulebook is out the window as the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform prepare to announce their plans on Tuesday.

There will be no giveaways, just restitution in 2021 for lost earnings, lost opportunities and lost jobs in 2020. Given that many businesses are already feeling the tighter pinch less than a week into level 3 Covid-19 restrictions nationwide, getting ...