Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 February 2014
168. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Finance his plans to alleviate the burden of the universal social charge on employees in view of its initial introduction as a temporary measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7512/14]
View answerThe Universal Social Charge (USC) was introduced in Budget 2011 to replace the Income Levy and the Health Levy. It was a necessary measure to widen the tax base, remove poverty traps and raise revenue to reduce the budget deficit. It is a more sustainable charge than those it replaced. It is applied at a low rate on a wide base. I should point out that it was never intended that the USC would be a temporary measure. It was designed and incorporated in to the Irish taxation system as part of its permanent structure and the revenues collected play a vital part in meeting the many expenditure demands placed on the Exchequer.
As you may be aware, delivering on a commitment in the Programme for Government, the USC was reviewed by the Department of Finance in the lead up to Budget 2012. The report is available at;
www.finance.gov.ie
As a result of the review, the Government decided in Budget 2012 to increase the entry point to the Universal Social Charge from €4,004 to €10,036 per annum. It is estimated that this removed almost 330,000 individuals from the charge.
