Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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663. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of beneficiaries availing of the fishers tax credit allowance; the cost of this allowance per annum; if he plans to increase this allowance given the downturn in the fishing sector post-Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41698/25]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Section 472B of the Tax Consolidation Act 1997 provides that a tax credit of €1,270 (referred to as the Fisher Tax Credit) will be available to individuals who satisfy the qualifying conditions of the section. Further details on the credit can be located at the following link - www.revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/tdm/income-tax-capital-gains-tax-corporation-tax/part-15/15-01-45.pdf

I am informed by Revenue that the most recent year for which data in relation to the Fisher Tax Credit is available is 2022. The number of taxpayer units that availed of the Fisher Tax Credit in 2022 was 1,060 taxpayer units with an Exchequer cost of approximately €1.3 million.

The number of taxpayer units who benefitted from the Fisher Tax Credit and the estimated cost for each of the years 2017-2022 has been 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. Data for 2023 will be available in this publication in the coming weeks. A taxpayer unit refers to individuals except in the case of couples who are jointly assessed, in which case the couple are counted as one taxpayer unit.

Finally, and as the Deputy will appreciate, decisions regarding taxation measures are made in the context of the annual Budget and Finance Bill processes, at the appropriate time, and having regard to the sound management of the public finances. It is a longstanding practice of the Minister for Finance not to comment in advance of the Budget on any tax matters which might be the subject of Budget decisions.