Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

160. To ask the Minister for Finance the cost of extending to the self-employed an earned income tax credit equivalent to the PAYE tax credit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21995/16]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

161. To ask the Minister for Finance the cost of introducing an earned income tax credit for self-employed persons of €1,100 and €1,650 per annum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21996/16]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 160 and 161 together.

I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that a Pre-Budget 2017 Ready Reckoner is available on the revenue statistics webpage at www.revenue.ie/en/about/statistics/index.html.  In relation to the Deputy's questions, this Ready Reckoner shows a wide range of detailed information including, on Page 6, the estimated cost to the Exchequer of changes to the earned income tax credit.

I note that the Deputy asked a similar question in relation to the earned income credit earlier this month and in my response on 6 July I also directed him to the Ready Reckoner. At that time the Ready Reckoner figures were based on estimates for 2016 incomes using data for the year 2013. I have been advised Revenue Commissioners that the Ready Reckoner data has since been moved forward and all figures now provided are estimates for 2017 incomes from the Revenue tax forecasting model using latest actual data for the year 2014, adjusted as necessary for income, self-employment and employment trends in the interim. The data are provisional and may be revised.