Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

No. Those on the minimum wage would be 26% better off in terms of their net income. As a proportion of their income, it would be much less for a higher income but they would be getting the same amount.

Let us say a Government was to commit €150 million to this. With 638,000 children, that would equate to approximately €240 per child. If one has three children and one's salary is €70,000, one will have a tax allowance of €240 per child. The person on the minimum wage is likely to pay little or no tax, and will get that in cash. In some countries, it is called a refundable tax credit.