There will be no further cuts in Budget 2015 according to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin .
Mr Howlin told the press that he expects that there will be sign-off this evening on the main features of the Budget. Mr Howlin told reporters that he would not be contributing to rumours in the run-up to the Budget, but said there would be a meeting with the Economic Management Council. He said there was a broad level of agreement at that level.
Meanwhile the Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said that the tax and expenditure elements of the Budget were nearing completion.
Mr Kenny strongly suggested that next week’s Budget will show people that the economic sacrifices they had made in recent years were beginning to pay off.
Also speaking today, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe has vowed that he would prioritise the maintenance of the 9% VAT rate within his own department.
Mr Donohoe made his comments before the cabinet meeting this morning in which he said he believed it had delivered more than 30,000 jobs within the economy and said it is essential to future job creation.
Mr Donohoe went onto say that this Budget will deliver on the Government’s priority to do all it can to deliver on more jobs for the country and make sure that the recovery seen to date was not put at risk. Mr Donohoe also told reporters that he was also working very hard to secure the funding his department needs for transport infrastructure across Ireland.