The changes could include an increase in child benefit for parents and another €200 energy credit to get through the winter.
Nothing has been made official yet – for that we'll have to wait for budget day in the winter time – but the Taoiseach and some Ministers have spoken out about what people can expect.
Here are four changes that are being discussed for Budget 2024, according to a piece in The Mirror.
Energy Credit
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “The easy option, of course, is the energy credits. You can just take it off the bill, it applies to everyone. But as we did previously, there was a targeted element too recognising that poorer households might need more."
Minister Simon Harris said in the past: “I personally think the energy credits were very effective. They were costly in terms of the overall cost to the taxpayer, but then every taxpayer was benefitting in terms of reduction on their bill,” he said.
Pension
The Taoiseach has said that there will be an increase in the pension.
"Assure you there will be a further increase in the weekly pension and that will be in the Budget. The exact amount has not been decided yet,” he said in the Dáil earlier this year.
Child Benefit and Social Welfare
Experts have been advising that vulnerable groups like those on social welfare and those in receipt of child benefit should be protected and given an extra boost, and so Child Benefit is expected to go up by up to €50 and the social welfare payment by €25.
Dr Sean Healy, the CEO of Social Justice Ireland previously old the Irish Sun: “In Budget 2024, Government should adopt recurring taxation and expenditure measures which prioritise the protection of the most vulnerable groups in our society and further protect them, if needed, from ongoing aspects of the cost-of-living crisis.”
Fuel Allowance
ALONE, the national organisation that helps older people to age at home, has been looking for a hike in the Fuel Allowance, which currently stands at €33 currently. It asks that the allowance go up to €68 per week.
CEO of ALONE Seán Moynihan said: “One in five older people are living in poverty today, and older people living alone are particularly at risk.”
He added: “Government officials talk about putting corporation tax receipts away for a rainy day, but if we don’t make choices now, we will simply not be able to meet the housing and health needs of older people in the future. Every year we lose out to other priorities but this year we need action.”
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