The "incompetence" of the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, is jeopardising the country's future, Fine Gael claimed today.
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Announcing their intention to table a Dáil motion of no confidence in the minister next week, the party's finance spokesman, Mr Richard Bruton, said Mr McCreevy had "no credibility in appealing to people to tighten their belts...when he more than any other had pumped-up expectations."
"It is well past time he stepped aside," Mr Bruton said.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, said that over a period of four weeks, Mr McCreevy had changed his estimated falls in tax revenue at a rate of €250 million per week.
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| The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy |
He said public spending is running out of control. "Tax revenues are €1.3 billion below target. Even the manager of the local Christmas club could recognise that as a crisis. If this continues, then based on his own figures, we're looking at a budget deficit of over €5 billion in 2003, rising to over €6 billion in 2004," Mr Kenny said.
"That assumes of course that by some fiscal miracle, Charlie McCreevy will actually stick to his spending targets for those 2 years."
The Mayo TD stressed that the upcoming Budget would be the most critical of the past decade. "It will have enduring affect on families, on businesses and on our ability as a nation to continue to create jobs, provide proper health and education and support those who are disadvantaged."
Concluding a major press conference to announce next week's motion of no confidence, Mr Kenny said: "The man who has presided over this shambles is not the man for this critical budget."