Why we can expect a ‘bummer of a budget’ and what is likely to be in it

With no election looming, expect to see one-offs pared back amid calls for financial restraint

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe will be putting the final touches to Budget 2026. Photo: Collins

Last year’s budget was a bumper one, coming as it did months before a general election. There were giveaways galore as the government tried to curry favour with the electorate.

But this year is different.