Tax Code.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009

Questions (149, 150)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

174 Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Finance the number of people who are exempt from tax because of the tax exemption limit applying to persons aged 65 years and over. [10076/09]

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Written answers

Minister for Finance (Deputy Brian Lenihan)

I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the total number of income earners aged 65 years and over who are entirely exempt from income tax in accordance with the exemption limits is estimated to be of the order of 27,200 for the 2009 income tax year. A further 13,600 of taxpayers are estimated to benefit from the marginal relief system. The figures are estimates from the Revenue Commissioners' tax-forecasting model using actual data for 2005, adjusted as necessary for income and employment growth for 2009. Therefore, they are provisional and likely to be revised.

Niall Collins

Question:

175 Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Finance the position regarding a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10119/09]

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Minister for Finance (Deputy Brian Lenihan)

I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the Schedule set out below identifies those sections of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (as amended) which provide for a full or partial exemption from income tax. In circumstances where the section ceases to have effect at a date in the next year this has been highlighted.

Due to the time restraints some minor legislative provisions have been overlooked in doing this research.

	Description of income	Section of the Taxes Consolidated Act 1997
1.	Interest on Saving certificates	Section 42
2.	Interest on certain securities issued by Minister for Finance	Section 43
3.	Redemption of non-interest-bearing securities	Section 45
4.	Premiums on Investment Bonds (full or partial exemption on certain income)	Section 46
5.	Exemption of premiums on certain securities	Section 48
6.	Interest on certain securities exempted by Minister for Finance	Section 49
7.	Interest on securities issued outside the State by a local authority	Section 50
8.	Certain benefits in kind	Section 118, 118A, 120A, 121 (Pool cars), 121A
9.	Income which is the subject of a Revenue approved salary sacrifice agreement	Section 118B
10.	Certain benefits payable under the Social Welfare Acts	Section 126
11.	Age exemption and associated marginal relief (for persons aged over 65 years).	Section 188
12.	Payments in respect of Personal Injuries	Section 189
13.	Certain income from special trusts for permanently incapacitated individuals	Section 189A
14.	Certain payments made by the Haemophilia HIV Trust	Section 190
15.	Payments received under the Hepatitis C [and HIV] Compensation Acts	Section 191
16.	Payments in respect of Thalidomide children	Section 192
17.	Certain payments made under Employment Law	Section 192A
18.	Foster Care Payments	Section 192B
19.	Income from scholarships	Section 193
20.	Child benefit payments	Section 194
21.	Early Childcare supplement payments	Section 194A
22.	Certain earnings of writers, composers and artists (subject to certain limits)	Section 195
23.	Certain expenses payments to members of boards, councils and committees	Section 195A
24.	Certain expense payments payable to members of the Judiciary	Section 196
25.	Certain foreign service allowances payable to certain employees of the State and certain agencies	Section 196A, 196B
26.	Bonus or interest paid under national instalment savings schemes	Section 197
27.	Certain interest receipts	Section 198
28.	Interest on certain securities used in the payment of income tax	Section 199
29.	Certain foreign pensions	Section 200
30.	Certain payments made on termination of an office or employment (subject to certain limits)	Section 201
31.	Certain payments for agreed pay restructuring	Section 202
32.	Certain statutory redundancy payments	Section 203
33.	Certain military and other pensions, gratuities and allowances	Section 204
34.	Payments to Veterans of War of Independence	Section 205
35.	Income from investments under Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act	Section 206
36.	Rents of properties belonging to hospitals and other charities	Section 207, 209
37.	Lands owned and occupied, and trades carried on by charities	Section 208
38.	Income arising under “The Great Book of Ireland Trust”	Section 210
39.	Income payable to Friendly Societies	Section 211
40.	Certain payments made by Trade Unions to their members	Section 213
41.	Income arising to Local authorities, Vocational Education Committees, the Health Service Executive, and certain Agriculture Committees.	Section 214
42.	Certain profits of agricultural societies	Section 215
43.	Profits from lotteries	Section 216
44.	Income received under the Rent-a-room scheme (subject to a certain limit)	Section 216A
45.	Payments under Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí	Section 216B
46.	Income form certain Childcare services (subject to a certain limit)	Section 216C
47.	Certain income of Nítrigin Éireann Teoranta	Section 217
48.	Certain income of Housing Finance Agency plc.	Section 218
49.	Income arising to a body designated under the Irish Takeover Panel Act	Section 219
50.	Income of Investor Compensation Company Ltd	Section 219B
51.	Profits of certain bodies corporate (e.g. National Lottery; Pensions Board)	Section 220
52.	Certain payments to National Co-operative Farm Relief Services Ltd. And certain payments made to its members	Section 221
53.	Certain dividends from a non-resident subsidiary	Section 222
54.	Small Enterprise grants	Section 223
55.	Certain employment grants to medium and large industrial undertakings	Section 224
56.	Certain employments grants and recruitment subsidies	Section 225, 226
57.	Certain income arising to specified non-commercial state-sponsored bodies	Section 227
58.	Income arising to designated bodies under the Securitisation (Proceeds of Certain Mortgages) Act, 1995	Section 228
59.	Certain income of harbour authorities and port companies	Section 229
60.	Profits arising to National Treasury Management Agency	Section 230
61.	Profits arising to the National Pensions Reserve Fund Commission	Section 230A
62.	Profits arising to the National Development Finance Agency	Section 230AB
63.	Profits or gains from Stallion Fees (up to 31 July 2008)	Section 231
64.	Profits from occupation of certain woodlands	Section 232
65.	Stud greyhound service fees (up to 31 July 2008)	Section 233
66.	Certain income derived from patent royalties	Section 234
67.	Income arising to bodies established for promotion of athletic or amateur games or sports	Section 235
68.	Exemption from a benefit in kind charge in respect of the loan of certain art objects	Section 236
69.	interest and dividends on special term accounts (full or partial exemption on certain income)	Section 261A
70.	Dividends on special term share accounts (full or partial exemption on certain income)	Section 267C
71.	Exemption in respect of certain benefits received by employees under approved employee share schemes	Section 510, 519A, 519C, 519D
72.	Income from leasing of farm land (full or partial exemption on certain income)	Section 664
73.	Exemption in respect of certain retirement benefits to certain employees	Section 778

I am also informed by the Revenue Commissioners that regarding the number of taxpayers who have availed of the stallion fee and the greyhound stud fee exemption and the amounts claimed, the relevant information available is derived from income tax and corporation tax returns filed for the tax years 2005 to 2007, the latest year for which it is available, and is set out in the following table.

Exemption	Year	Number of Claimants	Amount Claimed
			€m
Stallion Stud Fees	2005	185	51.8
Stallion Stud Fees	2006	185	90.7
Stallion Stud Fees	2007 (provisional)	191	48.3
Greyhound Stud Fees	2005	8	0.6
Greyhound Stud Fees	2006	6	0.4
Greyhound Stud Fees	2007 (provisional)	5	0.3

It should be noted that the stallion and greyhound stud fee exemptions ceased to apply in relation to any profits or gains arising on or after 1 August 2008.