Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)

The assumptions on which the Minister has based the budget do not correspond with the observations of several economic commentators, including some Government bodies such as FÁS and the ESRI. The Department is projecting a 1% increase in tax receipts However, although it projected an increase of 3% last year, a decrease of approximately 10% was experienced. Several economic commentators have predicted there will be a decrease in tax receipts of the order of 9%.

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