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The Budget can make a “significant impact” for middle-income earners, the Tánaiste has said, after income tax measures were described by a Fianna Fáil minister as amounting to a “few hundred euro”.

The summer economic statement outlined that there would be a tax package of 1.5 billion euro in new measures in the October 6 Budget largely relating to income tax.

The Tánaiste told reporters at his Fine Gael party think-in in Gorey, Co Wexford, that income tax changes would result in “more than” a few hundred euro back for middle-income earners.

Earlier in the week at the Fianna Fáil think-in, Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers said workers could expect “a few hundred euro” after income tax changes in the Budget describing the scope for such measures as “modest”.

He told reporters: “It’ll be a modest income tax package when it amounts to 1.5 billion euro in total, and that’s, I think, a signal to workers that over the next series of budgets, we want to alleviate the tax burden, but to do so in a in a progressive and sustainable way.

“I’m very clear that it is modest and the adjustments will amount to, you know, a few hundred euro, depending on your income, which I know, on an annualised basis, will be perceived as modest amongst the public.”

The Fianna Fáil deputy leader said it may “take a series of budgets for people to see the real improvement in terms of keeping more of their take-home pay”, adding: “But that’s the honest position that I’m giving in the context of the budget.”

Asked if the “few hundred euro” remark was accurate, Mr Harris said: “I’m not going to give away the tax package here today, right? But I believe we can make a significant impact cumulatively on the life of a middle-income earner.”

The Finance Minister added: “I think for many middle-income workers it will be more than that, but let’s finalise the detail.”

Mr Harris said “the direction of travel” was to increase bands and credits, but added: “I also want to have other conversations around costs more generally, childcare costs, energy costs.”