There is nothing in this budget for the poor and little for the unemployed, Mr Derek McDowell, Labour's finance spokesman, said. "This is a rich man's budget. Its overall effect is to make Ireland a less fair more unequal place to live. In short, the Minister has made the wrong choices," he said.
While he welcomed the extra £5 a week for pensioners, he asked why the Minister could not have done more. "There is a benefit of £1,100 for somebody who was earning £15,000 a year and yet somebody on social welfare is getting only £3 extra a week."
A cogent case had been made for carers but the Minister had done nothing about that. "They are getting no breaks whatever."
And what happened to the much vaunted help for child care?
The Minister should be measured by his own targets. "The Minister said he would limit capital spending to 5 per cent year-on-year. The Book of Estimates provides for a 17 per cent increase and the Budget has raised it to 20 per cent."
There was a commitment not to increase borrowing above £30 billion in times of economic growth but "the Minister has added £500 million to the national debt. This will bring it perilously close to £30 billion, if not above."
"Ninety per cent of companies pay the lower rate of corporation tax and return net profits of under £50,000," he said.
Only a very small number of companies, mostly in the Financial Services Centre, benefit hugely from reductions of upper rate.
"There is no particularly good or persuasive reason why we should benefit these companies at all. They are the most profitable companies in our economy and they do not need the State to offer them a windfall profit on a plate.
"He proposes to borrow money for tax cuts. He plans to borrow £100 million to save his Progressive Democrats colleagues from oblivion."
Mr McDowell welcomed the PRSI-free allowance of £80 increased to £100. "This was a particularly fair way of targeting tax reductions at the lower paid." There was, however, much scope for a reduction in both the employer and employee PRSI.
