Taoiseach Simon Harris has said that Fine Gael will announce plans to “phase out” third level fees as part of their general election manifesto launch at the weekend.
On Tuesday night, Mr Harris told an Instagram Live video appearance about the plans, after being asked why fee reductions could not be made permanent: “I am going to do that, that is absolutely my intention.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret ... I think we really need to phase out third level fees,” he said towards the end of an 11-minute session.
As part of Budget 2025 in October, it was announced that last year’s one-off €1,000 cut to the student registration fee is being extended into the new academic year.
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Earlier on Tuesday, Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe has accused Fianna Fáil of inflating figures in its election manifesto by as much as €5.2 billion.
The intervention by Mr Donohoe, who is also Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, marks an escalation in tensions between the two Coalition partners as battle lines are drawn over economic credibility.
In a statement released on Tuesday night by Fine Gael, Mr Donohoe said Fianna Fáil’s numbers do not add up.
“A close examination of the Fianna Fáil manifesto throws up a number of questions that simply cannot be ignored.
“The costing of the document, which is probably best described as sparse at very best, has figures inflated by as much as €5.2 billion, with no credible explanation given.”
Mr Donohoe is the second Fine Gael minister to target Fianna Fáil’s manifesto spending commitments in as many days, with Meath East TD and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee also criticising the document following its launch on Monday.
He said that Fianna Fáil had included €3 billion in savings that can be achieved from tax compliance measures.
“To put this in context, Budget 2025 made provision for a yield of €70 million for the same thing. The question has to be asked, what new policies will yield this additional revenue? Is the extra compliance on individuals or companies?” he asked.
“If it is in respect of individuals, then people need to be informed of upcoming changes. If it’s companies, then this will mean an additional reliance on corporation tax receipts, with no justification for how that will be achieved.”
“In addition to this, they cite a figure of €2.2 billion in respect of tax buoyancy. Where did this estimate come from? What tax heads will produce this buoyancy? Is this a further reliance on corporation tax receipts, and if not, then what other tax head is providing such a significant windfall?
“We are living in a changing world, where the threat of further tariffs on our economy are real. Now is the time to ensure that the basis for our economic model is underpinned by solid figures. That does not seem to be the case here. If there is an explanation of where and how this additional €5.2 billion will materialise, we need to hear about it. I’m calling on Fianna Fáil to make the details of these assumptions known”.
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