Skip to main content
Normal View

Departmental Expenditure.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2009

Tuesday, 6 October 2009

Questions (272)

Arthur Morgan

Question:

367 Deputy Arthur Morgan asked the Minister for Finance the amount paid out by the Exchequer in 2008 in pension tax reliefs. [34437/09]

View answer

Written answers

Data for the tax year 2008 on which to provide an adequate response to the Deputy's question is not yet available. For example, the tax returns incorporating 2008 claims for tax relief on pension contributions to personal pension plans such as RACs and PRSAs are not due to be returned by taxpayers until the end of this month. The following table provides a breakdown of the estimated cost of tax and PRSI reliefs for private pension provision for 2007, the latest year for which the most up-to-date data is available. The figures represent an update of the 2006 cost estimates set out in table 7.2 of the Green Paper on Pensions published in the Autumn of 2007.

Estimate of the cost of tax and PRSI reliefs for private pension provision 2007.

Estimated costs

€ million

Employees’ Contributions to approved Superannuation Schemes

590

Employers’ Contributions to approved Superannuation Schemes

150

Estimated cost of exemption of employers’ contributions from employee BIK

540

Exemption of investment income and gains of approved Superannuation Funds

900

Retirement Annuity Contracts (RACs)

420

Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs)

65

Estimated cost of tax relief on “tax-free” lump sum payments

130

Estimated cost of PRSI and Health Levy relief on employee and employer contributions

240

Gross cost of tax relief

3,035

Estimated tax yield from payment of pension benefits

410

Net cost of tax relief

2,625

Top
Share