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Budget 2007 main points

• Mortgage interest relief for first-time buyers to be doubled to €8,000 for a single person
• Paid maternity leave is increased by 4 weeks to 26 weeks
• Unpaid leave is also being increased by 4 weeks, to 16 weeks
• Three existing child dependent allowances replaced by new standard rate of €22 per child, per week
• Cost of 20 cigarettes to rise by 50 cents from midnight, raising€112m
• Contributory pension rises to €209.30 per week, non contributory pension rises to €200 per week
• VRT to be changed from 2008 to reward lower emissions vehicles
• Motor tax to be 'rebalanced' to reward lower emissions vehicles
• Top tax rate reduced to 41 per cent
• Lower (20 per cent) tax band widened by €2,000 a year to €34,000
• Income tax entry point raised to €17,600 (equivalent to €8.65 per hour
• Personal tax credit by €130 to €1,760 a year
• Tax changes to cost Exchequer €1,250m
• In 2007 economy will grow by 5.25 per cent
• Unemployment will remain at 4.4per cent in 2007
• Inflation expected to be 2.6 per cent next year - Cowen
• Government plans 1.2 per cent surplus in 2007
• Overall spending to grow by 11.5 per cent in 2007
• Capital spending to grow by 13 per cent next year
• Widowed person's tax credit increased by 10 per cent to €550 per annum
• Extension of business support grants for 7 years to encourage enterprise
• Increase in small company liability threshold from €50,000 to €150,000
• €70 million tax credits for investment in research and development
• Sports clubs purchasing land for sporting activities to be exempt from stamp duty
• €270 million allocated to buy carbon allowances up to 2013
• €10 million for Local Government fund for cleaner water projects
• New mandatory labeling system for car emissions
• Greener homes scheme funding to be increased by €20m until 2009
• Sustainable Energy Ireland to get €3 million for renewable energy research
• Grant aid for biofuel producers
• Excise on kerosene to be abolished
• Farming reliefs renewed and extended
• Measures to encourage the transfer of farms to younger farmers
• €1.4bn social welfare package, brings overall social welfare spend to €15.3b
• Annual respite care grant rises by €300 to €1,500
• Disability sector gets €100m for residential respite and day places
• €255m for homecare packages, homehelp hour and respite care
• 0.5 per cent increase in health levy on earnings over €100,000
• Extra health spending brings annual spend on sector to almost €15bn
• Minister for Health to restrict sales of cigarette pack sizes less than 20
• Mortgage interest relief to apply to buyers in the first seven years of their loan
• Child benefit will be increased by €10 per month for each of the first and second qualifying children to €160 per month