Jim Power

The economy is expected to grow at around two and a half percent this year and next year.

That's modified domestic demand down from four point nine percent last year.

So some slowdown in activity, largely driven by weaker consumer spending on the back of weaker employment activity.

real incomes under pressure.

Inflation expected to average 3.5% this year and going back to 2% around 2028.

On the taxation side and the broadening of the tax base, increasing the local property tax, the number of preferential VAT or excise duty rates, particularly those that benefit higher income workers, should be reduced.

Broad-based taxes

income tax reliefs should be reduced.

And its final conclusion is that Ireland is more exposed to AI than most other countries because of the significance of ICT in the Irish economy.

With a couple of exceptions there, Chris, I think that anybody who has listened to this podcast over the last couple of years wouldn't see anything remotely surprising or shocking there.

I guess the piece that irks me a little bit, and I know it wouldn't irk you given your ideological predisposition, but

You know, this is sort of ESRI speak really saying, you know, you shouldn't be doing anything to help the better off in society.

You know, the people who feck and pay for everything basically get nothing for nothing.

That kind of pisses me off.

But anyway, in broad terms, I think the overall conclusions are very difficult to argue with.

And I particularly like the...

the approach to housing, to renewable energy, and also to the sustainability of the fiscal situation, all of that I would give five stars to.

Yeah, I do actually.

And I guess one of the problems I have is that, you know, once you go over 44,000 in this country, you basically move on to a margin rate of 52% if you include USC and other taxes.

So a margin rate of 52% over 44,000.