Ireland’s taxes aren’t even that high

19 comments

1. OK Leo

2. We don’t mind paying if we get the results.

3. But they get results from those taxes. We get “it can’t be done overnight” and “now is not the right time”.

4. A grand in my pocket sounds nice, but what I really want is well funded public services and big capital projects that will make a difference to my quality of life.

   In short, keep my fucking taxes and build more fucking houses and public transport and hire more nurses and doctors.

5. It’s hardly new that people on low incomes pay extremely low taxes in Ireland.

   It’s a small group of top earners that carry the tax base. I wish companies would allow wfh abroad so europe would have to compete with Dubai tax rTes.

6. Definately. I make give or take, it works out, with expenses at about 140,000 a year and I pay 30.3 percent tax on that so it’s about a net 100,000. And out of that 100k I run a home in Dublin, Castlebar and Brussels.

7. It’s interesting to note just how progressive our tax system is. Low earners taxed at one of the lowest rates compared to similar countries and near the top at higher tax rates, it’s the way it should be and we need to be mindful of that. Some people would have you believe the opposite.

8. Leo, is that you?

9. What you meant to say is that taxes aren’t high for low earners, they’re very low. That’s why USC is here to stay.

   They absolutely are high for middle earners where you enter the highest income tax bracket with a salary well below the average industrial wage.

   Paying 48% marginal tax rate on earnings over €40k in a city like Dublin is scandalous. It should be €55k before the upper rate kicks in and if they had have indexed the bands to salary inflation in the early 00’s like other countries do it would be €60k.

   So yeah, give me my fucking €1k tax break and another next year at the bare minimum.

10. The opening line of the article you’ve posted literally reads:

    “MIDDLE-INCOME EARNERS in Ireland pay some of the highest tax rates in the OECD and more than their equivalents in Sweden”

    The proposed tax cut is for middle income earners.

    How on earth did you then come to the conclusion that Ireland is a low tax country from that article in the context of the proposed raising of the 40% threshold?

11. Yeah, they’re quite low if you restrict your comparison to only the countries with the highest tax levels in the OECD.

12. Please forgive the response as typing on a complete bollox of a phone. You have a quantitative argument.

    What about qualitative dimension . Let take Denmark as an example with a similar population that pay more taxes.

    So if the typical tax payer in Ireland has more after tax then the Danish tax payer why is it the Danes quality of life on the QOL index better with

    1) purchasing power on goods and services
    2) propery price to income ratio
    3) commute time for work

    I understand what you are trying to convey but comparing purely on population and tax rates while ignoring the myriad of other societal and environmental qualitative factors, you are comparing apples and oranges. I understand the picture you are trying to show but also understand the responses from others too.

    I think if you are going to make an argument for taxes , tax spend per tax payer then cycle time for each tax payer when engaging those government services is a good starting point into the quality argument.

    E.g. positive application of taxes

    No of qualified 3rd level graduates domiciled in Ireland in 3 and 4 years from entry of 3rd level funnel to exit

    Passport wait times per first time or renewal applicant

    Wait time for cancer screening across all main cancer types

    Cancer detection rates across demographics.

    Infant mortality rates per 100k for irish domiciled or new to country.

    Now compare the above snapshot with the current tax collection amount and population with that 25 years ago. What has changed in that time frame.

13. Ireland is taxed in many ways beyond income tax. Would like that to be incorporated in such a comparison.

    Separately, those who earn anything in this country very heavily subsidise those who don’t.

    There isn’t a lot of incentive to get off your duff and move from the dole up to minimum wage, let alone to stretch one’s self and try to make the middle class ranks.

14. We have high taxes compared to what we get for them, which is fucking nothing.

15. Interesting but this only works for single people.

    In France, you take the salaries of the household and divide by amount of people. Child 1 and 2 count for half a person, 3 and more for full.
    What does that mean?

    If you’re single earner on 75k then the graph is correct.

    If you earn 75k, are married with 2 kids you divide the salary by 3 (2 adults + 2 kids). So you pay taxes on 25k pp. which is a huge difference!
    In Ireland you get a few bobs off for having a kid but not much.

    (Edited for paragraphs)

16. Tax bands that fluctuate with inflation. Dose seem fair.

17. Andorra enters the chat

18. We have the most progressive income tax system in the OECD.
    The lowest income earners pay virtually no income tax yet the higher income earners pay French and Swedish level taxes.

19. Tax cuts (particularly for the wealthy) are a spectacularly unproductive use of budget surpluses.

    The Brits made womping profits from north sea oil back in the day, they pissed every cent of it away on tax cuts for the wealthy. Look at the utter deprivation that has been left in many parts of the UK now. It’s the definition of instant gratification at the expense of long term gain.