Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore has accused Fine Gael of ‘siding with the bankers’, as the two parties continue to criticise each other's economic policies.
In a statement last night, Fine Gael's Michael Noonan claimed that Labour was officially a ‘high-tax party’. He said its policies would damage job creation and foreign investment.
This morning, Mr Gilmore said Fine Gael was seeking to attract Labour Party supporters by claiming that his party was in favour of higher taxes.
He said he was surprised that Fine Gael was opposed to Labour's proposal to introduce a tax on international financial transactions.
In response, the Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said his party's position of keeping taxes low and growth high would lead to a stronger economy.
He also announced plans to abolish or rationalise 145 quangos.
Mr Kenny said the proposals would result in job losses, but that these would be voluntary redundancies.
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has claimed that there was a lack of credibility emerging in the other parties' policy presentations.
Speaking in south Kerry, Mr Martin said parts of the Fine Gael and Labour budgetary proposals did not stand up to scrutiny.
Green Party leader John Gormley campaigned in his constituency of Dublin South East today, while Sinn Féin announced its job creation plans at a press conference in Dublin.
