IFAC, ESRI and Irish Tax Institute to discuss Budget 2019 with Budgetary Oversight Committee

Witnesses scheduled to speak starting at 2 p.m. in Committee Room 2 include:

• Seamus Coffey, chairman of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, the independent body that analyses the government’s fiscal and economic policies;
• IFAC council member Sebastian Barnes, counsellor to the chief economist of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development;
• Alan Barrett, director of the Economic and Social Research Institute, and Kieran McQuinn, an ESRI research professor with special interests in house prices and household finance; and
• Anne Gunnell, senior tax policy manager for the Irish Tax Institute, the representative body for Ireland’s chartered tax advisors.

The IFAC delegation will field questions on its just-published Fiscal Assessment Report  for June, which presents a case for reducing state debt and limiting stimulus measures in Budget 2019.

“As momentum builds towards the unveiling of Budget 2019 this autumn, it is invaluable to hear the views of professional external analysts,” said Committee Chairman Colm Brophy TD. “The Tax Institute, ESRI and IFAC all play a role in explaining the dynamics of the Irish economy. Committee members will have many questions about their views on government forecasts, performance targets and planned policy reforms.”

Wednesday's meeting can be viewed live here. 

It also can be viewed live on Android and Apple devices using the Houses of the Oireachtas app.