The Budget 2027 is set to be announced two weeks from Tuesday, here is what we know so far.
Over the weekend, Minister for Arts, Media and Culture Patrick O'Donovan stated that he wanted young people to get off their phones and to get out of the house. It is currently being considered that every 16 year old should receive a €100 voucher to spend on arts, culture and music events.
Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris believes that Ireland is facing a watershed moment as the government plans for the announcement of Budget 2027.
Speaking to RTE ahead of the cabinet meeting, Harris said that energy is the biggest challenge that the economy will face this winter.
Harris also stated that while the Budget will aim to help with energy, their main focus is the cost of living crisis.
Another idea that has been floating around is that the Government may introduce a tax break for childminders.
Fianna Fáil Cork South Central TD Séamus McGrath has pushed for this to be introduced in the past few weeks.
According to RTE, the Government have been receiving constant calls to make childcare more affordable and to drive it down to €200 a month.
"I'm looking at if there is a tax relief available in my own department to support people who are child-minding in the home. It hasn't been increased in quite a number of years and I'm positively disposed to that as well. Childcare will be, and we've said this right across Government, childcare will be a priority area [in the Budget]," Harris said via RTE.
Harris also mentioned that he was not set on the idea of abolishing stamp duty for first-time buyers, an idea that the Taoiseach seems to support. Harris confirmed that his department's focus would be boosting housing supply, The Irish Times reported.
For the 2027 Budget, the coalition vowed to keep spending growth at 6% or lower, however, an insider told RTE that this didn't stop some Government ministers presenting with "lengthy scrolls of budgetary asks."
This week the Taoiseach and Tanaiste are expected at the UN General Assembly in New York.
Micheal Martin said that the topic of AI will be a main talking point at the assembly. Speaking at Government buildings ahead of cabinet told Martin said according to The Irish Times, “quite a number of states are now quite concerned, in terms of what we’re reading in the last number of weeks, in terms of the challenges that AI could present ultimately to the world."
