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Somewhere, in parallel universes, Sinn Féin , the Social Democrats and the Labour Party are all in power and preparing to deliver budgets for 2027 next week.
What tax and spending measures are the politicians in other dimensions set to announce, you may wonder? Well, we’ll get a peak of what might be happening in the multiverse today as the three parties in our reality unveil their alternative budgets. Sinn Féin were first up at 11am. Last year it said it would bring in a €450 energy credit for all households, cuts to Universal Social Charge and college fees as well as €10-per-day childcare.
One revenue-raising measure proposed by Sinn Féin was a new solidarity tax of 3 per cent on income in excess of €140,000 annually. We can expect the proposal to cut childcare costs to be in the party’s alternative budget this year, as well as a proposal to remove the USC on income up to €40,000 as part of a more than €1.5 billion income tax package Meanwhile, this year’s proposals from the Social Democrats include the introduction of a “super wealth” tax of 2 per cent on multimillionaires with assets worth more than €5 million; a tripling of the bank levy; a levy on energy use by data centres; and a windfall tax on the “excess profits” of energy companies.
It says it would also introduce a €400 targeted energy credit for low- to middle-income households; cut childcare fees by €300 a month; and increase the State pension by €15 per week, among other measures. One idea from the Labour Party this year is a €100 “shopping supplement” for families in receipt of child benefit to help with cost-of-living increases. The €100 would be for each child, each month, for the three months of winter.
The Parliamentary Budget Office did a comparative exercise on last year’s alternative budget proposals compared with what the Government brought in on budget day, which we previously reported on here . Aside from the Opposition proposals, the signals about what the Government will do in the budget next week continue to roll in.
As Marie O’Halloran outlines , Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil that reports that the weekly increase for pensioners would be just €7.50 “may not be true at all”. It is an indication the weekly increase decided upon will be higher than that, but if that figure has been finalised, Martin was not saying what it was yesterday.
Elsewhere, Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris told a meeting of Fine Gael’s parliamentary party that he intends to increase the €15,000 income threshold for the Childcare Services Tax Relief. It is understood the scale of the planned threshold increase has not been finalised but the proposal is aimed at making the scheme aimed at small-scale child-minding more attractive.
State’s financial watchdog finds ‘substantial loss to taxpayers’ Our lead story today stems from the latest report from the State’s financial watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General . As Martin Wall details, the State paid out “substantial” sums in legal settlements – likely to run to several million euro – to potential providers of accommodation for asylum seekers after it cancelled precontract agreements following a change of policy.
The C&AG maintained that “no value” had been secured from the money paid out, which represented “a substantial loss to taxpayers”. Two other cases are still before the courts. The report says precontract agreements entered into by the Department of Children in 2024 and early 2025 – with a combined value of more than €100 million – represented commitments to significant future expenditure. It maintains this should have required the approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure.
However, the Department of Public Expenditure was not consulted before the precontract agreements were reached and no contingent liability was set out by the Department of Children, which had responsibility at the time for accommodating asylum seekers, in its accounts for 2024. The precise amounts paid out to the accommodation providers were not disclosed.
However, the report says a “material” portion of €35 million in accrued expenses set out in the 2025 appropriation account of the Department of Justice related to the settlement payments. Also from the C&AG report comes the news that the Office of Public Works paid almost €700,000 to Revenue last year to settle benefit-in-kind liabilities resulting from it renting residential properties in its portfolio to staff at far below market rates.
Best Reads A law intended to protect rape complainants from being questioned about their sexual history during trial is “not doing the job it was designed to do” and should be repealed and replaced, according to a report from a Maynooth University academic. Mary Carolan reports . London Correspondent Mark Paul has an explainer setting out how the Brexit debate is back on across the Irish Sea and pondering whether Britain could rejoin the EU.
Jack Horgan-Jones reports that a lobbying firm founded by former minister of state Lucinda Creighton has admitted it made an “error” in attempting to influence the Dáil schedule on behalf of a big pharma client. Data journalist Rachel Lavin has looked at a heap of opinion polls on Irish Unity to create a poll of polls and asks whether there is enough support to trigger a Border vote. Her findings and analysis are here and here .
On the Opinion pages, Newton Emerson writes that the Drumcree standoff puts a significant achievement of the peace process at risk. On Wednesday’s Inside Politics podcast presenter Hugh Linehan spoke to Siobhán Fenton, a journalist who worked in Sinn Féin’s press office from 2020 to 2024, about her book, Ourselves Alone, on her time with the party. Playbook Dáil proceedings begin at 8.47am with Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee due to take Parliamentary Questions.
Minister for Housing James Browne is up to take questions next at 10.23am. Leaders’ Questions is at noon. Government Business in the afternoon – from 1.52pm – is a second-stage debate on the Railway Safety Bill 2026, which is legislation surrounding the investigation of railway accidents. TDs have an opportunity to raise Topical Issues in the Dáil from 5.26pm.
At 6.26pm the Dáil is to debate legislation proposed by the Social Democrats aimed at including a right to housing in the Constitution – something that would require a referendum. It is a short day in the Seanad, beginning with Commencement Matters at 9.30am and continuing with the Order of Business from 10.30am before two motions without debate. Adjournment is scheduled for 11.25am.
The Committee on Children and Equality is looking at Ireland’s pathway to incorporating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Irish law. The meeting starts at 9.30am. Also at 9:30, the Committee on Defence and National Security Building will be examining national resilience and cyberdefence. Tusla, the child and family agency will be before the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee alongside officials from the Department of Children from 10.30am.
The Committee on Justice will launch a report on supports for, and the experiences of, victims of crime at 1pm.
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