Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 September 2023
169. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Finance if he has any plans to make changes to the rent-a-room scheme with regard to taxable income (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41257/23]
View answerThe Rent a Room scheme was introduced in Finance Act 2001 as an incentive to encourage individuals to let rooms in their principal private residence as residential accommodation in order to bring about an increase in the availability of rental accommodation. In accordance with section 216A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, an individual who lets a room or rooms in her or his sole or main residence as residential accommodation may be exempt from income tax, PRSI and USC in respect of income from the letting where the aggregate of the gross rents and any sums for meals or other services supplied with the letting does not exceed the threshold for the year in question, which is €14,000 for 2023. Although the relief applies automatically, the amount of exempt rental income must be included in the individual’s tax return for the year in question.
The upper income threshold of €14,000 would allow an individual to receive income of up to €1,166.66 per month over a 12 month period under the scheme, without it giving rise to a tax liability.
The following table sets out data on the number of taxpayer units availing of the scheme, together with the Exchequer cost of the relief for the years 2016 - 2021 (the latest year for which data are available).
|
Year |
Exchequer Cost €m |
Number of taxpayer units |
|
2021 |
26.8 |
10,730 |
|
2020 |
20.7 |
9,310 |
|
2019 |
22.2 |
9,810 |
|
2018 |
19.7 |
9,240 |
|
2017 |
12.0 |
8,160 |
|
2016 |
9.3 |
7,350 |
While there was a reduction in the number of claimants in 2020, which may have been as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 data indicated a return to the growth trend in numbers claiming the relief.
As the Deputy will appreciate, decisions regarding tax incentives and reliefs are normally made in the context of the annual Budget and Finance Bill process. Such decisions must have regard to the sound management of the public finances and my Department's Tax Expenditure Guidelines. These guidelines make clear that any policy proposal which involves tax expenditures should only occur in limited circumstances where there are demonstrable market failures, where a tax-based incentive is more efficient than a direct expenditure intervention.
Furthermore, it is a longstanding practice of the Minister for Finance not to comment, in advance of the Budget, on any matters that might be the subject of Budget decisions.
