The chair of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has said that hard choices on tax and the pension age will be required over the next five years as a new government seeks to recover from the Covid-19 crisis and looks to deliver ambitious new projects.
Sebastian Barnes said politicians need "to keep everything on the table" so they have a full range of choices available to decide how to deal with the lasting impact of the crisis, but also to deliver on some ambitious projects such as Slaintecare, housing and on climate change.
Speaking on Morning Ireland, Mr Barnes said that income tax, which makes up about a third of the tax base, "is very important".