A difficult but necessary budget to support and protect

Amid many hard decisions, there still lies a missed opportunity in Budget 2021

Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Finance, and Michael McGrath, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, pictured at the Budget 2021 press conference

Budget 2021 was ambitious in its scale. At €17.75 billion, it is the largest budget in the history of the state, with the government taking counter cyclical measures to support the economy. A global pandemic putting both lives and livelihoods at risk, the shadow of a no-deal Brexit, geopolitical complexities and the international tax framework under review, meant there was limited room for manoeuvre in the shape of tax giveaways. In total, a net €270 ...