Back to the future budget speech from Noonan, say Greens.

Commenting immediately after Minister for Finance delivered his first budget speech, Green Party Finance spokesperson Mark Dearey has characterised it as an old fashioned cave in to the big lobbies.

 "You look at winners and losers after any budget speech and definitely in the winners enclosure this time are rental and speculative property owners, the solid fuel sector, the pensions industry and a farming lobby that sees environmental responsibility as an afterthought"

Continuing, Dearey accused both Ministers Howlin and Noonan of piece meal and ineffective measures that will do nothing to promote social cohesion and sustainable economic development.

"They left themselves with few options by the nature of their commitments on income tax and welfare in the programme for government and have now compounded the problem with these proposals."

"At a time when radical solutions are possible and there is a public appetite for change the Government has flunked the chance to integrate welfare and tax codes, to deliver progressive and fair measures such as ending excesses in the pension tax relief scheme, and turning a blind eye to the unsustainable section 23 tax break."

"Instead in the one issue that neither Labour and or Fine Gael don't hold as a core value, VAT, a destructive hike of 2% has been announced and one that hits you harder the less disposable income you have. As for putting Ireland back to work. It will be more like pricing Ireland out of work when combined by the effective increase in employer PRSI contributions announced today.

Politics has taken primacy here and the economy and people will suffer as a result" Dearey concluded.