Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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232. To ask the Minister for Finance the cost to the Exchequer of the foreign earnings deduction in 2025 and 2026. [40523/25]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The most recent year for which data in relation to the Foreign Earnings Deduction (FED) is available is 2022. Data for 2023 will be available in the coming months and will be published on Revenue’s website.

Data for the 2024 or 2025 year of assessment is not available as the filing deadlines in relation to self-assessed taxpayers have not yet passed.

Available FED statistics can be viewed at: www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/information-about-revenue/statistics/tax-expenditures/foreign-earnings-deduction/index.aspx

The table below shows the total cost of FED for the 3 most recent years for which data is available.

As the Deputy will be aware, it is a long-standing practice that the Minister for Finance does not comment, in advance of the Budget, on any tax matters that might be the subject of Budget decisions.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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233. To ask the Minister for Finance the cost to the Exchequer of the Key Employee Engagement Programme in 2025 and 2026. [40524/25]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by Revenue that the most recent year for which data in relation to the Key Employee Engagement Programme (KEEP) is available is 2022. The estimated cost for each of the years 2019-2022 can be found in Revenue’s ‘Cost of Tax Expenditures’ publication which is available on the Revenue website at www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/information-about-revenue/statistics/tax-expenditures/cost/index.aspx. Data for 2023 will be available in this publication in the coming weeks, while data for 2024 will be published in Q4 of this year. Revenue have advised that they do not project or estimate the uptake of the scheme in future years, and instead report on the uptake ex-post.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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234. To ask the Minister for Finance the cost to the exchequer of medical insurance relief in 2025 and 2026. [40531/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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235. To ask the Minister for Finance the cost to the exchequer of the tax relief at source in 2025 and 2026. [40532/25]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 234 and 235 together.

I assume the Deputy is referring to tax relief for private health insurance premiums when referencing tax relief at source.

Section 470 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (“TCA 1997”) provides for tax relief in respect of payments made to authorised insurers under relevant contracts in respect of medical insurance and dental insurance.

Income tax relief is granted at the standard rate of tax (currently 20%), subject to certain limitations, on the amount of the premium that covers benefits which are the reimbursement or discharge of health expenses within the meaning of section 469 TCA 1997 (health expenses tax relief).

Where an individual purchases a policy of health/dental insurance, the tax relief is granted at source. This is given as a discount on the cost of the policy whereby the insurance provider charges the premium less the tax relief to the individual. If an individual has a policy of medical/dental insurance which is paid for by their employer, on which they are taxed through payroll as a benefit-in-kind (“BIK”), the tax relief may be claimed by filing an income tax return.

The most recent year for which data in relation to tax relief for private health insurance premiums is available is 2022. Data for 2023 will be available in the coming weeks and will be published in Revenue’s ‘Cost of Tax Expenditures’ publication on the Revenue website at:

www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/information-about-revenue/statistics/tax-expenditures/cost/index.aspx

The table below shows the total cost of tax relief for private health insurance premiums for the 3 most recent years for which data is available.