Louth TD says Budget 2026 littered with broken government election promises

Louth Sinn Féin TD Joanna Byrne has expressed her disappointment with the governments budget for the coming year, and has said that: “Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have piled pressure on people in a cost-of-living crisis".

Deputy Byrne said that the parties have "decided to increase the price of petrol and diesel, energy credits withdrawn when households will be hit by double-digit electricity hikes starting this week, childcare fees remain at €800 a month. Student fees have gone up by €500 since last year, Local Property Tax is up, heating bills are up. 

"Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil delivered one of the biggest tax packages ever seen - €2.5 billion in tax cuts over a full year, and ordinary workers get nothing. Instead, Landlords, Developers and of course the banks get to keep their sweetheart tax deals. There is no increase in renters tax credit, but landlords get an increase to €1000, up from €800."

The Sinn Féin TD continued: "Petrol and diesel go up as carbon taxes increase again, tax relief which benefits dozens of millionaires continues, bailed out banks will pay no tax, developers will get a quarter of a billion-euro tax cut next year for apartments already under construction.

"The only tax cuts for any workers is €60 million for SARP, a small group of high earners who get generous tax breaks on salaries up to €1 million. The government could have scrapped the USC for all workers on the first €40,000 people earn. That would put €746 back in people’s pockets. 

"They could have delivered an energy credit of €450 at a time when many customers are facing double digit increases. They could have increased renters’ credit to between €1,250 and €2,500, they could have reduced the cost of childcare to €200 a month as they promised to do. 

"They promised a plan for €200 a month childcare within the first hundred days of government. They broke their promise on this. No support for workers struggling with the cost of childcare. Instead, the public will continue to pay €800 a month per child. We in Sinn Féin would have delivered €10 a day childcare and invested in recruitment and capacity."

Deputy Byrne added: "The inclusion of Drogheda in the Living Cities Initiative is a case of 'better late than never'. When the Living Cities Initiative was introduced in 2014 by the Fine Gael and Labour Government , Kilkenny as a designated city was included. But Drogheda had larger a population and faster rate of population growth and we were inexcusably left out. 

"According to the Drogheda City Status Group last month Drogheda has already surpassed many Irish cities in scale. According to Census 2022, the local electoral area stretching from Donacarney to Tullyallen has a population of 55,640. When Laytown and Bettystown are included, the figure rises to nearly 67,000, larger than Waterford city.

"But even with this information readily to hand the government did not act upon this to look at planning or providing for Drogheda adequately. It has taken the government over a decade to rectify this, so it is as I have said before 'better late than never.'

"There are other schemes such as the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme, that Drogheda was excluded from, and this should also be rectified. We have a long way to go and a lot of work to do to ensure that Drogheda  is properly provided for, and I will be raising that throughout this term."