Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)

We must acknowledge that there were many good points in the budget. When one considers that it is a pre-election budget, one would expect it would contain some benefits for the people. However, today's newspaper headlines should have stated the past three budgets represented a deliberate fraud visited upon the people. In 2004 the budget surplus was €2.1 billion, in 2005 it was €2.4 billion and this year it is close to €4 billion. This means that a total of €7 billion has been taken from hardworking taxpayers by the Government during the past three years. This money will be used for nothing more than buying next year's general election.

Government representatives will try to explain this fraud by referring to nonsense such as the level of growth exceeding expectations, the buoyant economy and projected returns being greater than expected. However, one hard fact remains.

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