The largest budget in the history of the state will be announced at 1pm this afternoon.
It will focus on COVID, Brexit, housing and getting people back to work.
People on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be paid the social welfare Christmas bonus if they've spent at least four months on the income support.
The measure was one of the last agreed last night during final negotiations on Budget 2021.
1,100 additional staff for the gardaí next year under #Budget2021
600 gardaí, 500 civilian staff.
Plus 70 new garda vehicles to be purchased by Christmas to replace rentals
— Seán Defoe (@SeanDefoe) October 12, 2020
One of the last measures agreed was to give some 400,000 social welfare recipients a Christmas bonus at a cost of €350 million, as long as they've been on the payment for a total of four months this year.
Health is to get an extra €4 billion to spend between Covid and other healthcare including extra beds and ICU capacity.
There will be a multi-billion euro fund including targeted supports for businesses that have been forced to shut because of Covid and the live entertainment industry.
At least €500 million will be given to the Department of Housing which will tell local authorities to directly build social housing.
There will be money for affordable housing and the help-to-buy scheme is being retained at the higher €30,000 euro.
Carbon taxes are going up by €7.50 a tonne which will mean it will cost €1.47 extra to fill a tank of diesel and €1.28 for a tank of petrol.
A bag of coal will cost 90c more and a bale of briquettes 20c more.
Motor tax and VRT are also set to rise for high polluting vehicles.
The cost of a pack of cigarettes will go up 50c but alcohol is expected to be left alone.
Income tax rates are also not going to change under the first budget of this coalition government.
