Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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84. To ask the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 59 and 79 of 26 May 2016, to answer these questions again using the current parameters within which USC is charged, to provide for the non-indexation of USC bands and thresholds and to take into account the buoyancy of USC annual receipts over the period, given that USC receipts are forecast to reach €4.9 billion by 2021. [13874/16]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The following table sets out the broad projected revenues that would be generated by the Universal Social Charge (USC) for each of the next five years assuming that no provision is made for the indexation of USC thresholds and bands.  It should be noted that for 2017, Exchequer USC receipts are impacted by the carryover effect of Budget 2016 changes and timing effects. 

With regard to the Deputy's request for an estimate of the individual annual costs of four variations of a 5-year plan to reduce or abolish the USC, taking into account projected buoyancy of USC receipts over the 5-year period, I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the information sought by the Deputy is not currently available.

The estimated cost to the Exchequer of the Universal Social Charge (USC) measures suggested by the Deputy in Parliamentary Questions Numbers 59 and 79 of 26 May 2016 were generated using an income tax model maintained for the purpose of estimating the effect of budgetary changes to the income tax system. These figures were estimated by reference to 2016 incomes, using latest actual data for the year 2013, adjusted as necessary for income, self-employment and employment trends in the interim. I am informed by Revenue that it would not be possible to extend the model to include the ability to forecast over multiple future reference years at the full range of income levels without undertaking an extensive and costly development of the model. However, Revenue are currently preparing the model for reference year 2017 (in advance of Budget 2017) and updates with regard to the year 2017 will therefore be available in due course.