Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 November 2011
49 Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if, in view of the fact that the approximate collective incomes of the 300 wealthiest Irish citizens rose to €57 billion in 2011 from €50 billion in 2010, he can outline to Dáil Éireann a corresponding rise in Exchequer taxation returns from this group over the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34389/11]
View answerI am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that they hold data collected from taxpayers in relation to income but they cannot verify the estimate provided by the Deputy and are not aware of the source of the Deputy's information. For the tax year 2009, which is the latest year for which full data is available, the top 300 income earners declared €911 million in income and paid €262 million in income tax. Income data is not yet available for 2010 as the final filing date for submission of the 2010 Income Tax return is 16 November 2011 where an individual elects to file and pay using Revenue's On-line Service. The 2011 Income Tax returns are not due to be filed until the fourth quarter of 2012.
