The Commission on Taxation was tasked with reviewing all tax expenditure with a view to assessing the economic and social benefits they deliver and to recommend the discontinuation of those that are unjustified on cost benefit grounds. It is recommended that this scheme be discontinued on the basis of the low employee participation rate compared with participation in unapproved share option schemes that do not allow such income tax exemption. The termination of this scheme is also motivated by the requirement to rebalance the public finances and to broaden our tax base. The scheme is estimated to have cost €500,000 in 2009, the most recent year for which estimates are available.

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