A single person on an income of €40,000 to €75,000 is paying a marginal rate of tax of 51%, inclusive of PRSI, health and other income levies. For a person on €80,000 to €170,000, it is calculated that the total marginal rate of tax inclusive of levies is 50%, while someone earning €175,000 to €250,000 is calculated to pay 52%. That is quite a high marginal rate of tax. The programme for Government that Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats signed up to suggested that over five years it would reduce the marginal rate of tax to 40%.

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