70% of taxpayers say Budget 2025 could influence how they vote in next General Election

More than 7 in every 10 taxpayers believe that the Budget 2025 announcement could be a deciding factor in how they vote in the next general election.

That was the key message emanating from the Taxback Taxpayer Sentiment Survey, which polled over 1,400 respondents nationwide on the measures they believe the Government should introduce in October’s Budget announcement.

The Government are required to hold the next election by March 2025, and the Taxback survey has indicated that 74% of taxpayers are still undecided on how they will vote and that the Budget could influence their final decision.

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

Commenting on the survey findings, Marian Ryan, Director of Business Development with Taxback, said:

“It’s clear that Budget 2025 is eagerly anticipated by countless workers across the country.

“In fact, 83% 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.

“Of course, 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 make in this Budget.

Housing Crisis Remains a Key Issue for Voters

Meanwhile, the Taxback survey also indicated that housing remains the number one issue for many taxpayers across the country.

44% (the highest percentage of the vote) of those surveyed said that housing should be the no.1 priority on the Government’s Budget 2025 agenda.

Cutting income tax received the second highest vote (20%), followed by the healthcare system (17%).

“Interestingly, in last year’s edition of this survey, the majority of respondents (48%) were urging the Government to help households to cope with inflation and the cost of living crisis. At that time, the housing crisis received the second highest share of the vote, 22%,” says Ryan.

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

“Homeless numbers have reached record levels this year, and rental costs continue to spiral and are now averaging at €1,922 per month.

“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. And according to the latest census figures, there has been a decline in homeownership among older people aged 65 or more, going from 87% to 83%.

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