Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 9: To ask the Minister for Finance the reason, in the case of persons (details supplied) who are residing together for 18 years and who are jointly assessed for jobseeker's benefits, the partner is not allowed to transfer their tax credits. [23464/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Cohabitating couples are expressly recognised for the purpose of social welfare law but are not recognised for the purposes of income tax law. Although this may appear contradictory, the main aim of both the welfare code and the tax code is to uphold the constitutional right of married couples not to be treated less favourably than unmarried couples. The basis for the current tax treatment of married couples derives from the Supreme Court decision in Murphy vs the Attorney General (1980) which held that it was contrary to the Constitution for a married couple to pay more tax than two single people living together and having the same income.

The treatment of cohabiting couples for the purposes of social welfare is primarily a matter for the Minister for Social and Family Affairs. However, it is also based on the principle that married couples should not be treated less favourably than cohabiting couples. This was given a constitutional underpinning following the Supreme Court decision in Hyland v Minister for Social Welfare (1989) which ruled that it was unconstitutional for the total income a married couple received in social welfare benefits to be less than the couple would have received if they were unmarried and cohabiting. In the particular circumstances outlined, where a couple are co-habiting rather than married, it is not permitted under existing legislation to transfer tax credits between the individuals.