Micheál Martin has labelled the upcoming Budget in October the “cost of living Budget”.
And the Taoiseach has promised it will be “comprehensive” and that it would have a real impact for people “in this calendar year.”
Normally the proposals in a Budget don’t take effect until the following year.
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However, the Taoiseach refused to budge on his position that there will be no emergency budget or extra cost of living relief measures being introduced before October.
Mr Martin was speaking to reporters in Cork at the opening of the new enhanced community care facility at St Mary’s health campus in Cork.
The Taoiseach said: “The country is not on its knees... It’s a country where you now have near full employment, you’ve a growing population, that’s a very significant issue, there are over five million people in the country.
“I welcome the report of the ESRI because I think it actually illustrates the importance of not doing something every single month.
“I mean, for example, Sinn Féin since the outset of this inflationary cycle have been calling for dramatic reductions in indirect taxes on fuel and the ESRI is saying that’s not the most effective way to target resources.
“And yet Sinn Féin do another U-turn and sort of say, oh, we welcome the ESRI report.
“The ESRI is saying that what Sinn Féin was calling for from the outset is not the most effective way and targeted way.
“So we do need that sort of evidence-based approach in terms of what we are going to do.
“We’ve already allocated €2.5billion, the Budget will be a cost of living budget, it will be comprehensive and we want it to have an impact for people in this calendar year.
“But, there are a whole range of measures that we have to examine, working with others in terms of prioritising the best way to take the pressure off people that is undoubtedly there in terms of this unprecedented inflationary cycle, the worst we’ve seen since the 1970s, brought about mainly by the war on Ukraine and the weaponisation of energy, of food in the conduct of that particular war.”
Mr Martin was pressed on whether cash-strapped could expect any assistance from the Government before October.
He replied: “As I said, the Budget is the most comprehensive way that we can deal with this.”
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