News

The Coalition leaders and senior ministers will consider a new round of cost-of-living financial supports later today, ahead of a decisive Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said last night that expectations need to be tempered against the financial limits set by last September’s Budget.

Mr Varadkar re-iterated that this new package would be no mini budget, and added that the coalition needs to strike a balance between being affordable for the taxpayer, and yet, sufficient to help people and businesses up to the next budget.

Minister for Finance Michael McGrath is understood to have told TDs, Senators and MEPs that the Government needs to retain some resources to be able to help later in the year.

And he is said to have emphasised that when it came to the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector, it would cost €500m to extend to the end of the year.

Revenue had advised against splitting accommodation from food and the Cabinet needed to decide on what represented the best use of resources.

Opposition parties charge that the Government’s €11 billion Budget last September did not go far enough, and predict that this next round of financial assistance also looks set to fail.

Article Source: Govt examining new round of cost-of-living supports – Paul Cunningham – RTE

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