Opposition politicians have said they expect the Government to use the report of the Commission on Taxation to tackle the shortfall in the public finances.
Read the full report from the Commission
Fine Gael deputy leader and finance spokesperson Richard Bruton said that Fianna Fáil was trying to tax its way back to recovery and that no country had ever managed to do this.
He said: 'The last thing families and taxpayers need at this time of deepening economic crisis is dreaming up even more ways to tax them to pay for an unreformed, often dysfunctional and high-cost public service.
Mr Bruton said: 'No country has ever taxed its way back to recovery, but that is exactly what Fianna Fáil is trying to do.'
He added: 'Ireland's tax system may need to be redesigned to support employment and investment, but the Government's focus should not be on increasing overall tax levels.'
Fine Gael's George Lee said people would have to wait and see whether the report was a fair one.
He said that this would depend on what choices the Government made from the menu provided by the Commission.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said property taxes were 'notoriously difficult' to implement.
He was speaking at the start of his parliamentary party's meeting in Cavan.
Labour spokesperson for Finance Joan Burton said she was amazed that the Commission had not tackled the issue of property based tax relief.
She claimed 'the dominance of tax lobbyists in the Commission's make up' contributed to them sidelining this important issue.
Ms Burton said the report would require careful study and called for it to be used to address 'glaring anomalies' in the tax system.
She added that despite the Commission's description of the report as revenue neutral, it would be difficult not to see some of the new taxes being proposed being used to plug the gap in the public finances.
Sinn Féin Finance spokesperson Arthur Morgan said he expected the report to be used to increase taxation of ordinary people.
He said: 'This report unfairly targets households, as does the McCarthy report, to pay for the government’s mismanagement of the economy.
'It is not a restructuring of the tax system based on fairness – it is an attempt to squeeze even further ordinary people struggling to make ends meet.'
Taoiseach Brian Cowen welcomed the publication of the report, describing it as 'an important and timely contribution.'
Mr Cowen said it sets out a framework for reforming the taxation system over the next decade.
he said: 'What is important ... is that we come up with a fair and equitable way forward.'
Green Party Chairman Senator Dan Boyle said he hoped the report would spark public debate on the taxation system.
He said: 'Many of the recommendations will prove contentious and there are a number of areas where Green Party ideas differ from those of the Commission.
'However, the report should hopefully kick-start a debate in the wider public arena about how we can create a taxation system that is fair, efficient and helps to protect the environment and our natural resources.'
IFA and Arts Council oppose recommendations
The IFA criticised the report's proposals on carbon tax and changes to the capital allowance system.
IFA President Padraig Walshe said he was very concerned that the carbon tax will act as another cost to the productive, export-driven sectors of the economy and will also discriminate against farmers and rural dwellers who do not have the option of public transport.
Mr Walshe added that he thought the recommendation to change the capital allowance system will undermine any future investment in farm buildings in Ireland.
Con Lucey, Chief Economist of the Irish Farmers Association, was a member of the Commission on Taxation.
Another farm group, the ICMSA, said the proposal for a carbon tax would fall disproportionately on the agri-food sector and considerably worsen Ireland's competitive position.
The Arts Council has said it will make a strong case to the government for the retention of the artists' tax exemption scheme.
Arts Council President Ms Pat Moylan said that if the exemption is abolished, Ireland could lose entirely a considerable number of artists and that this would not be for the public good.
She added that a study had shown that the Exchequer would lose tax revenue if the exemption is scrapped.
The IRFU has welcomed the Commission's recommendation to retain the tax relief incentive for sports stars.
The incentive has enabled the association to keep its best rugby players in Ireland.
