This consumer mood is nervous as we head into the budget

Leo Varadkar says inflation has ‘moderated’ over last 12 months while wages had increased ‘across the economy’ to offset impact of rising prices

Budget 2024: Taoiseach seeks to dampen expectations of giveaway on scale of last year, saying it would not be ‘prudent’

Irish Times/Ipsos poll shows more than a quarter of under 25s want abolition of college fees

He says Government will put some of its projected surpluses into debt reduction and the rest into two funds

Leo Varadkar tells Dáil second tier of child benefit being considered following report from ESRI

Coalition parties struggle to make headway ahead of Budget 2024

Sinn Fein has increased again, they lead Fianna Fáil by 14 points while Mary Lou McDonald remains the most popular leader

Broad support for better funding and policy change to support financially-stressed young parents and the childcare sector

Coalition keen to back companies grappling with mounting cost of doing business, says Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney

Budget is opportunity to prepare for harsh times rather than for landmark €11 billion budget package announced last year, says Minister for Finance

Petition receives more than 14,000 signatures over ‘extortionate’ €300 figure

PBP’s Paul Murphy accuses Leo Varadkar of emulating UK model of work capability assessments as portrayed in film I, Daniel Blake

Parliamentarians call for measures for those paying the top 40 per cent rate but also to protect welfare recipients from inflation

Health service needs to be fully digitised within five years, group says in pre-budget submission

Chambers Ireland has reiterated its call on Government to deliver on infrastructure and housing in next month’s budget.

Mary Lou McDonald claims chronic lack of childcare places is a serious problem, and the ‘capacity crisis’ a source of enormous stress for parents

Just €129m of claims have been approved so far out of the €1.25bn earmarked for the scheme, which has come in for criticism

Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman further dampens hopes of 25% cut in childcare costs

Opposition says any tax cut for landlords will not build a single additional home

Budget 2024: Fraught pre-budget negotiations made worse by expected €1bn health overspend

Property industry leaders call for a range of measures to boost supply and lower cost of new homes in pre-budget submissions

Budget 2024: Cabinet Committee on Health to meet on Monday amid speculation that overrun will curtail budget demands made by Stephen Donnelly

Payment is ‘outdated’ and ‘inadequate’, Family Carers of Ireland says

Our history as an underperforming economy means putting the brakes on is not in our psyche. But full employment makes achieving our goals difficult

More than 12,000 homes and commercial properties are vacant across Dublin, new analysis of data by The Irish Times reveals

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil politicians pushing for increases in tax bands and USC cuts in Budget 2024

An increase of up to €12 a week in welfare payments and a lower energy credit also among measures proposed

There will be an additional multibillion euro package of temporary measures to tackle the cost-of-living crisis

Minister insists he is getting balance between spending and saving the current tax windfall right

Business Today: the best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

Budgetary watchdog issues one of its most scathing attacks on Coalition to date

The creative life isn’t the path to fame and fortune that people might think. Most artists need to rely on a second and even third income stream

Minister has strongly suggested he will make changes to slow exodus of small operators from rental sector

Irish Fiscal Advisory Council appears before Oireachtas committee three weeks before unveiling of budget

Inside Business podcast with Ciarán Hancock

Business Today: the best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

‘We’ll do the very best we can . . . but we won’t be able meet all of the demands that are there,’ says Minister for Finance Michael McGrath in advance of Budget 2024

Conradh na Gaeilge says funding to-date highlights the State’s lack of ambition for the Irish Language and the Gaeltacht.

Paschal Donohoe says adherence to spending limits will address inflationary risk

Minister for Finance says ‘help for people’ will be forthcoming but not all demands will be met

Irish Fiscal Advisory Council adds voice to chorus of warnings about Coalition’s upcoming budget package

Ictu calls for increased taxes and greater investment in key areas during meeting with Ministers

Business Today: the best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

Regulator says capacity constraints in employment and housing point to moderate growth outlook

Decline in consumption in line with general trend towards more moderate drinking, says Ibec group

Regulator also downgrades growth forecast for Irish economy on back of capacity constraints and tougher monetary conditions

National association of charities outlines problems confronting sector at the launch of its pre-budget submission

Thousands of additional public servants needed to provide improved services, argues business lobby group chief

Those responsible for transforming mental health services will need unflinching Government support