Today at 3.45 Brian Lenihan delivered one of the toughest budgets this country has seen in living memory.

The budget is going to affect people who are in the lower and middle class the worst. This is going to happen to through some of the following;
Social welfare - is to be cut by 4 per cent from all welfare payments, excluding pensioners and the most vulnerable.
This will mean that the dole and other payments will cut by around 8 or 9 euro a week, with child benefit being slashed by 10 euro a month per child, and double that for the third child.
Also public sector pensions over 12,000 euro will be cut by 4 per cent
The lower paid - who traditionally have not paid tax - will be brought into the tax net gradually.
While there are to be no changes to the top and lower income tax rates, tax bands are to be narrowed which will mean more people pay the higher rate of income tax.
Income tax bands and credits to be cut by 10 per cent.

Mr Lenihan also plans to consolidate the health and income levies into one so called "universal social charge."
The Taoiseach's salary to be cut by additional 14,000 euro, Ministers by 10,000.
The state car fleet is being reduced by a third and a ‘car pooling’ system will be introduced for TD’s in the Dublin region. Also to raise more expenditure by selling one of the government private jets.

There is also some welcome news for smokers and drinkers, neither are to be touched to prevent further black market trade but a review of the duty for the on and off trade to be conducted next year.
However petrol and diesel will not escape.Petrol is going up by 4 cent per litre from midnight tonight and diesel will rise by 2 cent per litre.

At the end of the Budget Brian Lenihan said there was every reason for the country to be confident about the future