Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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19. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of persons that have benefited from the special assignee relief programme for each of the years 2012 to 2015; the amount which was claimed for each year; the amount of tax foregone for each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34053/16]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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SARP is designed to help Ireland compete with other countries for foreign direct investment and as a result lead to additional job creation, which will be particularly important in the context of Brexit. The individuals at which the programme is aimed often have an input into the decision as to where the company will locate new projects. Such individuals could persuade companies to make their investments in competitor countries in the absence of this incentive. This relief complements our competitive corporate tax offering.

I am advised by Revenue that detailed reports regarding the Special Assignee Relief Programme (SARP) are published online by Revenue Commissioners in the statistical reports section of their website.  These reports provide information on the conditions, eligibility and the calculation of the relief. Furthermore, there are statistics covering both the uptake of the relief and the cost to the Exchequer from 2012 to 2014, the latest year for which figures are available.  As the self assessment tax returns for 2015 are only due to be submitted to Revenue about now, statistics for 2015 are not yet available but will be published in due course.

Take up of the scheme has increased year on year. The first year of the programme was 2012 and in that year 12 employees availed of SARP relief at a cost of €112,000. Employers reported that 6 jobs were created, and 6 retained as a result of the relief.

In 2013, 121 employees claimed SARP at a cost of €1.9 million, with employers reporting that 49 jobs were created and 215 jobs retained as a result of the relief.

The most recent report on SARP, in respect of the 2014 tax year, showed that 302 employees availed of it in that year.  Employers reported that 126 jobs were created and 708 retained as a result of the relief. The cost to the Exchequer of the scheme in 2014 was almost €6 million. 

If these jobs had not been created or retained then the Exchequer would have lost the associated income tax, USC and PRSI, as well as any additional economic activity, as a result of spending in the economy. I would also add that the impact of SARP should not be measured in terms of job creation alone as the measure acts to secure and embed investment, which delivers sustainable growth and strengthens Ireland's innovative capabilities. Accordingly, I propose to extend it to 2020 in the current Finance Bill.