What the main lobby groups' want from the Budget

ECONOMY

Construction Industry Federation: Full-scale review of transaction taxes, with view to removing 9 per cent stamp duty level.

IBEC: The increase in public service expenditure in 2007 must not exceed 8 per cent.

ICTU: Increase employee tax credit by at least €350, and the personal tax credit by €60. Increase single person's standard rate band by at least €5,000 per annum.

Irish Exporters Association: Extend the lifetime of the Business Expansion Scheme beyond the current expiry date of 31 December 2013, and increase investment ceiling in line with indexation.

Irish Taxation Institute: Expand Ireland's double tax treaty network.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants: Reduce the cost of tax compliance caused by administrative complexities.

Extend the R&D and Business Expansion Scheme to support the development of technology in Ireland.

ISME: Introduce strong tax incentives to encourage SMEs to invest in alternative energy projects.

Society of the Irish Motor Industry: Reduce the rates of VRT, and introduce a scrappage scheme to incentivise the replacement of old cars with new ones to reduce emissions.

Chambers Ireland: Reduce the standard rate of VAT by 3 per cent, instead of lowering income tax rates.

PROPERTY

Chambers Ireland: Replace stamp duty with a property tax ring-fenced for local authorities. National Youth Council of Ireland: Abolish stamp duty for first-time buyers purchasing properties up to a value of €500,000.

Threshold - National Housing Organisation: Increase supply of affordable and social housing.

Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers: Stamp duty should only be payable on the excess over each threshold rather than on the entire price. It should be abolished altogether for first-time buyers.

HEALTH

Irish Medical Organisation: The Minister should focus spending on the public hospital system rather than the private hospital system in order to solve the A&E crisis.

SOCIAL WELFARE

Combat Poverty Agency: Increase Child Benefit payments by €10 per month. Increase PAYE tax credit by €82 per year.

Cori: Increase the lowest social welfare rates by €20 a week for a single person.

Open (representing lone parent groups): Increase the Family Income Supplement income ceilings by €35, and raise the rate of payment from 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the difference between net income and the income ceiling.

Pavee Point Travellers' Centre: Increase the Child Dependent Allowance to €24 per week.

Saint Vincent de Paul: Increase adult social welfare rate by €23 to €188.80 per week.

Age Action Ireland: Increase the State non-contributory pension from €182 per week €206 per week, and increase the State contributory pension by €25

Disability Federation: Introduce a Cost of Disability Payment of €40 per week. Increase Disability Allowance by €20 per week to €185.80.

Barnardo's: Introduce a child income support for children whose parents are on social welfare or in low-paid employment. Increase the Fuel Allowance.

Comhairle: Develop affordable childcare facilities focussed on needs of low-income families.

End Child Poverty Coalition: Introduce a second-tier payment system aimed at ending child poverty.

Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed: Raise the income limit for the retention of secondary social welfare benefits by €65 to €382.50.

National Women's Council of Ireland: Extend maternity benefit to 26 weeks as committed in Budget 2006, and introduce four weeks paid paternity leave.

EDUCATION

INTO: Increase primary school funding to meet higher running costs.

Crosscare: Hot school lunches should be made available to all children as part of a universal school meals scheme.

Union of Students in Ireland: Abolish third-level fees for part-time students and capitation fees.