Ibec is good for your country

Sharpening Our Edge / Budget Submission 2025

The upcoming Budget presents the Government with an opportunity. The State has both a significant forecasted Budget surplus and is running a significant surplus in our Balance of Payments. We are in the enviable position of being flush with the resources we have built through exporting, rather than borrowing from abroad.

The understandable pre-election temptation will be to ‘have one more for the road’. This would be a mistake. Spending the whole surplus, or worse still borrowing, to continue with temporary giveaways to households who don’t all need them, would represent a significant risk to the public finances. We are entering a period of major change in the global economy. Revenues may be volatile; we need to leave room for risk.

In our full submission we set out in detail over 75 evidence-based policy recommendations. These policies would drive Ireland’s ability to compete in an increasingly competitive global environment by addressing these major deficits. This document gives a brief overview of some of the key strategic asks. Sharpening our competitive edge is within the gift of the Government. The major choice in October will be between investing in our continued prosperity or having one-last giveaway today.

Influencing around the globe

With a team covering global trade policy and international relations, Ibec works to protect and promote the interests of Irish enterprise and to champion Ireland's business model and economic priorities on the European and international stage.

Ibec has been in Brussels for 50 years and recently set up Ibec Global which is a lobbying organisation for US businesses directly into Brussels. Through our expert analysis, we equip business leaders with the knowledge and skills to succeed on the global stage, as well as opportunities to engage publicly and privately at the highest level.