The Taoiseach has pledged to cut income tax and the Universal Social Charge (USC) to make sure the Irish economic recovery is "felt by those at work".

Writing in the Irish Independent today, Enda Kenny says one in four workers will not be paying the USC at all by next year.

He has also promised that an extra 40,000 jobs will come on stream by the end of the year.

Mr Kenny says the government is planning new measures to "make work pay", including cuts to income tax and USC for lower-paid workers.

They include taking 90,000 low-paid workers out of the USC next year - with one in four expected not to be paying the charge by 2016.

He has also signalled reforms to tax for the self-employed and an increase in the minimum wage.

Mr Kenny says that the aim is to make sure the recovery is felt by those at work, and is pledging to help businesses bring an extra 40,000 jobs on stream this year.

It marks an early attempt to focus on the economy in the wake of a series of challenging opinion polls for the government and the launch of a new party by his former junior minister Lucinda Creighton.

Fionnnan Sheahan is the group political editor with the Independent group.

He told Newstalk Breakfast Mr Kenny is focusing on areas where the government is coming under fire.