Vol. 553 No. 2
224 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Finance the tax concessions available towards the cost of further education which are available to workers; if he will consider improvements in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13378/02]
As the Deputy will be aware, in the Finance Act, 2001, the various tax reliefs for third level education were merged into a single relief and the relief was considerably widened. Generally speaking, the new relief now covers fees paid by undergraduate students in Ireland and elsewhere in the EU. It also applies to fees paid by postgraduate students both here and abroad. Undergraduate courses, which may be full or part-time, must be of at least two academic years duration while postgraduate courses must be of at least one, but not more than four, academic years duration. Tax relief is also available in respect of fees paid for training courses, of less than two years duration, in the areas of information technology and EU languages.
Tuition fees paid by an individual on his or her own behalf or on behalf of a spouse, child or person for whom the individual is the legal guardian all qualify for relief, which is available at the standard rate of tax. No relief is available for any part of fees which are met directly or indirectly by grants, scholarships, an employer or otherwise.
The maximum relief that can be claimed is set by the Minister for Education and Science. It is currently €3,175 per year in respect of third level fees. In the case of fees for training courses in EU languages and information technology, the maximum relief is set at €1,270 per annum and no relief is due where the fees for the course are less than €315. Given the recent improvements made to the scheme, I have no plans at this stage to make any further changes.
Question No. 225 answered with Question No. 221.
