Minister of State Jack Chambers has denied that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are engaged in a "fake fight" about the Budget as he accused Fine Gael of being "simplistic".
He stated that Fianna Fáil has a "wider focus" than Fine Gael, as he questioned who the party is "trying to convince".
The row between the coalition partners looks set to rumble on this week, despite the fact that the Budget is still four-and-a-half-months away.
READ MORE: Tánaiste contradicts Fine Gael's Budget calls that would benefit middle-income earners
Tensions have been brewing since last Monday when Fine Gael ministers Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Martin Heydon and Peter Burke wrote an opinion piece in the Irish Independent calling for €1,000 tax breaks for those earning €52,000.
Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin stated that op-eds in newspapers were "unhelpful" and "undermined the budgetary process".
Fine Gael TDs have argued that they are within their rights to outline their party’s priorities. Michael Creed told his parliamentary party last week that Fine Gael should not take "lectures" from parties who are "still on probation" for their part in the economic crisis.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on Monday, Minister Chambers said that he was surprised by the article, stating that his party has a "wider focus" than Fine Gael.
"I'm not sure who and the people who penned it are trying to convince within Government," the Fianna Fáil TD said.
"In the Programme for Government, we've agreed to tax reductions. We've also, in the Fianna Fáil manifesto, we were committed to reducing tax for middle-income earners.
"As part of the budgetary policy, it's not as simplistic as throwing out figures five months out from a Budget.
"It's a sophisticated process and getting the balance right.
"[Finance] Minister Michael McGrath will coordinate that across the Government. I'm confident he’ll be trying to strike the balance.
"From a Fianna Fáil perspective, we have a much wider focus. We obviously want to ensure that we reduce the income tax burden on many middle-income earners.
"We're also ambitious as a party to ensure that the State delivers on many of the issues, in housing and health in education."
Minister Chambers denied that it was a "fake fight" between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
He stated that the Summer Economic Statement, which states how much money will be spent during the Budget, will be published in the coming weeks.
The war of words between the parties continued over the weekend, with Fianna Fáil backbencher Barry Cowen accusing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of "electioneering".
The Fine Gael leader backed Ministers Carroll MacNeill, Burke and Heydon, telling the Irish Times that his party wanted to look after "middle Ireland".
"If you think about it, what’s the basis of Fine Gael’s participation in this Government? It’s to make sure that middle Ireland gets looked out for, and gets looked after," he said.
The opposition has been highly critical of the spat, with Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty accusing them of engaging in a "fake fight orchestrated by Fine Gael".
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