Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation Dail Éireann — 2026-07-16 ============================================================ William Aird (FG), Laois Middle-income working families continue to shoulder the greatest burden of rising living costs. Many are earning too much to qualify for targeted supports and they are finding it increasingly difficult to meet the costs of childcare and housing, and also to meet everyday expenses. At the same time, wage increases intended to keep pace with inflation are pushing more workers into the higher rate of income tax. As the Government prepares for budget 2027, I am asking the Tánaiste to prioritise middle-income families through adjustments to the standard rate tax band and tax credits, together with targeted supports to help with childcare and housing costs. Will he set out the principles that will guide decisions to ensure work continues to pay and that middle-income families receive meaningful support? --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-16/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:17+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-07-16