How and why have our eminent economists got forecasts so wrong?

An updated forecast on the country’s 2026 finances was published last week and yet again we have seen significant revision of the forecast for corporate tax receipts.

We have been receiving these wildly inaccurate under forecasts for at least five years.

We have been told that no more than a half dozen companies comprise the bulk of the forecast, so all it requires is for someone from the Department of Finance to ring these companies’ finance directors and receive a pretty accurate forecast of the rest of the year’s tax payments.

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However, dare I say it, it could be part of an effort by the department and the politicians to report lower figures to keep pay rise expectations down. – Yours, etc,

Peter Daly,

Sandymount,

Dublin 4.