An Exchequer deficit of €12,316 million was recorded to end-December 2020. This compares to a surplus of €647 million in 2019. The €12,963 million year-on-year deterioration in the Exchequer balance is primarily driven by increases in voted expenditure. Cumulative tax receipts of €57,165 million at the end of the year were down by 3.6 per cent or €2,149 million on last year. Receipts in 2020 benefitted from a strong performance in January and February, as well as solid income and corporate tax receipts, which have compensated — to an extent — for sharp declines in other tax heads, notably VAT and excise receipts.

Today I present my second Budget to this house and to the Irish people as the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform. A decade on from the financial and economic crisis that wrought havoc with the lives and aspirations of so many of our citizens, I can report that our economy is again growing strongly and sustainably.

Budget day offers the opportunity to reflect on a journey made, to recognise both what our country has achieved and what we want to achieve.

Delivered at the Collins Institute inaugural conference, Saturday June 17 2017

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and Fine Gael General Election candidate for Dublin Central, Paschal Donohoe, has called on Fianna Fáil to come clean on how it plans to fund commitments made in its manifesto, such as the DART Underground and the construction of the M20. Minister Donohoe warned people to ‘mind the gap’ in Fianna Fáil’s transport policy proposals.

Fine Gael General Election candidate for Dublin Central TD and Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe has today (Saturday) warned older people not to be fooled by Fianna Fáil’s empty promises, saying that Fianna Fáil promised to increase the State pension to €300 in 2007, but instead they wrecked the economy.

FF’s blatant disregard for the tourism sector continues

Minister Paschal Donohoe has said that Sinn Féin’s attempts to hijack the recovery simply won’t work, because they have no policies to sustain job creation. Instead, Sinn Féin’s disastrous policies would kill the recovery and cost us 200,000 jobs.

Minister Paschal Donohoe has said that Sinn Féin’s attempts to hijack the recovery simply won’t work, because they have no policies to sustain job creation. Instead, Sinn Féin’s disastrous policies would kill the recovery and cost us 200,000 jobs.

Following the release of Sinn Féin’s manifesto today (Tuesday), Minister Paschal Donohoe has said the party has confirmed its plans for a €2.6 billion tax bomb that would destroy the recovery.