Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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307. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of persons who have benefited from the special assignee relief programme in each year since it was established; the cost of the scheme in each year; the average benefit per person in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44567/20]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Finance Act 2012 introduced section 825C to the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997. This section, as amended, provides Income Tax relief for certain individuals assigned during any of the tax years 2012 to 2022 to work in the State. The relief is commonly known as SARP (Special Assignee Relief Programme).

The aim of the relief is to reduce the cost to employers of assigning skilled individuals in their companies from abroad to take up positions in the Irish-based operations of their employer or an associated company, thereby facilitating the creation of jobs and the development and expansion of businesses in Ireland.

SARP provides for relief from Income Tax on 30% of income over €75,000, subject to an upper income threshold, where applicable. There is no exemption from USC. PRSI is payable where the individual is not liable to social insurance contributions in his or her home country. School fees of up to €5,000 per annum and expenses incurred on one trip home per year, where they are paid for by the employer, are not subject to Income Tax, USC or PRSI.

The number of persons who have availed of SARP for 2012 to 2018 (the most recent year for which data are available) was as follows:

The cost of the scheme for those years was as follows (€m):

The average benefit per person is as follows (€):

The most recent data on SARP can be found at: