Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. We have not revised the economic forecasts we have as of today. In the run-up to the budget, we will make a final run-through of our economic and tax revenue forecasts for this year and next year. On other occasions, particularly when our September tax receipts and fiscal monitor are complete, I have done a press conference to indicate where I believe our tax revenue is likely to come in for the year and address whether it will have any impact for the following year. I will probably do that again but I am not going to do it until the September tax figures come in and we are still a few days away from that.

The Deputy made a point about the tax package and the difference between indexation and a tax cut. I would make the point, as the Tánaiste did, that we are trying to keep as much of the wage growth that workers may gain by being able to go back to work or stay in a job. We are trying to protect as much of that as we can from the increased level of taxation that would be caused by their movement going through the personal tax brackets. The total size of the package will be consistent with the parameters we outlined in the summer economic statement. They are the contours within which the budget will be put together.