Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The position is that as announced in the budget on 5 December 2012, as of 1 July 2013, maternity benefit will be treated as income for income tax purposes. This proposal was set out clearly on budget day and the general reaction to the measure after the budget appeared to acknowledge it was only fair that two individuals earning the same amount of income should pay the same amount of income tax, regardless of whether that income came from pay or maternity benefit. The proposal is exactly the same as was announced on budget day. It is in the news now because the Finance Bill is going through the Dáil at present.

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