The Green Party today accused the Minister for Finance, Mr Charlie McCreevy, of playing "loose and fast" with the nation's finances.
Green Party finance spokesperson Mr Dan Boyle, speaking at the party's pre-budget submission in Dublin, said: "McCreevy's cynical tactic is to create a new momentum to spend later in the electoral cycle and so, repeat the trick of winning future elections".
In their submission, the Greens called for an 8 per cent increase in public spending, a new rate of 45 per cent on taxable incomes over €100,000 a year and an end to the tax concessions given to investors in the housing market.
"Where in these Book of Estimates are those who have benefited most from the Celtic Tiger being asked to pay the price?" Mr Boyle asked.
In the submission the Special Savings Incentive Account scheme is described as a "a political scam to encourage support for the Government in the run-up to the general election".
According to the Green Party, participants should be paid to the value of their investment for the end of this year and the scheme should then cease.
Party leader Mr Trevor Sergeant also accused the Government of failing to reign in energy consumption and not complying with international commitments under the Kyoto Protocol which he said "will in the long term prove very costly for Ireland".
