Almost four out of 10 Irish earners are paying no income tax, says Revenue

Numbers revealed as Brussels warns Ireland must broaden its tax base to sustain the public finances

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe shared the statistics in the Dáil. Photo: Reuters

John Burns

Almost four out of 10 Irish earners will pay no income tax this year, according to estimates from the Revenue Commissioners’ forecasting model.

While the number of taxpayer units earning enough to be liable for the standard rate will be just over 2.2 million, an estimated 1.06 million of these, or 30pc, will not pay anything because their liability is fully covered by their tax credits.