A Big Mac budget, coasting on climate and giving loopholes to land-hoarders - Greens react to Budget ‘26

Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman today reacted to the publication of the FF-FG-Independent’s first budget, criticising their approach as ‘visionless’ and ‘doing very little to prepare Ireland for the challenges ahead’.

“A Government's first budget is their most critical. It tells us everything we need to know about who and what they are prioritising. This budget is untargeted, unfocused and fails to deliver on the big promises made by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the election.

“Nothing to start the promised public model of childcare; no second tier of child benefit, nothing on the committed abolition of the means test for carers. And following the raiding of the Climate and Nature Fund earlier this summer - nothing additional at all to fill the hole made by the Government to help us implement those critical climate measures.

Joining him, Green Party Finance spokesperson Cllr Michael Pidgeon said: 

"Lazy governance reigns. Instead of a targeted tax plan to help struggling cafés and restaurants, the government will spend the guts of a billion euro on a VAT giveaway. The way they have done this tax cut means that big food chains will gain millions at taxpayer expense, while small businesses get a pittance. This one policy is a microcosm for the whole budget: weak, unfocused, and directionless. 

“Subsidising Big Macs at the cost of improving public services is not prudent, it’s not progressive, and it’s not the way to help small businesses keep the lights on. 

"The Green Party set out an alternative VAT plan last week which cost under a third of what the government is doing. It would have benefitted small businesses more and capped gains for massive companies."

Green Party Public Expenditure spokesperson Cllr Hazel Chu added: 

“The Green Party fought hard to include a land hoarding tax (RZLT) in last year’s budget because we knew that it was a game-changer for delivery of new land for much needed housing. It’s been a success. But this year’s budget undercuts the RZLT by bringing in loopholes to allow more and more landowners to postpone payment. With a stroke of a pen we are rolling over to developers, and rolling backwards on delivery of new housing.”