Budget Week’s Political Contest: Who Can Make the Cost of Living Add Up?

Sinn Féin’s €13.4bn alternative budget puts a €500 “everyday essentials card” and a €600 tax on owners of multiple properties on the table. The party also proposes a permanent 10-cent cut to petrol and diesel prices, alongside extending excise cuts for six months. The Social Democrats, meanwhile, propose a €400 energy credit for people earning €70,000 or less.

Off the Record

This is more than a contest over headline handouts: opposition parties are trying to show...