Irish Independent

Budget measures to be key influence on voting decisions, survey finds

Chambers under pressure to act on housing crisis

The stakes have been raised for the Government after a survey found that a majority of people say the upcoming Budget will likely influence how they vote.

And most workers believe housing should be the numberone priority for the Coalition in Budget 2025, according to a survey conducted by Taxback.com of more than 1,400 taxpayers nationwide on the measures they believe the Government should include in next month’s Budget.

One of the key findings of the survey is that 70pc of taxpayers said Budget 2025 could influence how they vote in the next general election.

This piles the pressure on Finance Minister Jack Chambers to deliver a consumerfr­iendly Budget in October, having recently been appointed to the key finance portfolio.

The Government is required to hold the next election by next March.

The Taxback.com survey indicates that 74pc of taxpayers are still undecided about how they will vote and that the Budget could influence their final decision.

However, 26pc of voters said they already know how they will vote in the election and Budget 2025 will have no impact on their choice.

The survey found housing remains the numberone issue for many taxpayers across the country.

Some 44pc of those surveyed said housing should be the priority in the Government’s Budget 2025 agenda.

Cutting income tax received the secondhigh­est vote, at 20pc, followed by the healthcare system.

Taxback’s director of business developmen­t Marian Ryan said it was clear that Budget 2025 is eagerly anticipate­d by workers across the country.

“In fact, 83pc of respondent­s of this survey said that they pay close attention to the Budget each year so that they can have a clear understand­ing of how it impacts their finances,” she said.

Ms Ryan said this will be the last budget announceme­nt before the next general election.

“Our survey indicates that the majority of workers in Ireland could have their voting preference swayed by the moves the Government makes in this Budget,” she added.

In last year’s edition of the survey, the majority of respondent­s were urging the Government to help households to cope with inflation and the costoflivi­ng crisis. At that time, the housing crisis received the second highest share of the vote at 22pc, Ms Ryan said.

“Twelve months on, it seems that the challenge of managing the housing crisis never gets any easier for the Government,” she added.

Homeless numbers have reached record levels this year, while rental costs continue to spiral and are now averaging €1,922 across the country.

“Furthermor­e, a recent report from the Parliament­ary Budget Office has indicated that the number of people over the age of 50 who do not own their own home, who are on a social housing waiting list or depending on housing benefits to rent in the private market is increasing,” she said.

Ms Ryan said that according to the latest Census figures, there has been a decline in home ownership among people aged 65 or older, going from 87pc to 83pc.

“Given this context, it is therefore unsurprisi­ng that housing remains such a core issue for workers,” she said.

“And it’s clear that the general public would like to see the Government do something in the upcoming Budget to alleviate the housing crisis.”