Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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218. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her Department allows for the deduction of the local property tax from gross income to establish a persons net income or if it is allowable as an expense under any other heading when calculating the means of persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48209/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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My Department operates a range of means tested social assistance payments. For means test purposes, account is taken of the income and assets of both the claimant and his or her spouse/partner.

Where a claimant or a spouse/partner has earnings from employment, these earnings less PRSI contributions, pension contributions and trade union subscriptions are assessed as means. Various disregards and tapering arrangements also apply. Payments of the local property tax by a claimant and/or a spouse/partner are not taken into account in order to determine a person’s net income for means test purposes.