Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
355. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the estimated reduction in VAT revenue caused by the abolition of VAT on newspapers in 2023; the reasons for this change; and his views on whether or not this tax reduction was passed on to consumers. [45518/26]
View answerI am advised by Revenue that traders are not required to identify the VAT yield generated from the supply of specific goods and services on their VAT returns. Therefore, it is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the cost of the abolition of VAT on newspapers based on tax returns alone.
However, using third-party data sources, a tentative estimate of the reduction in VAT revenue arising from the zero-rating of newspapers is presented in the table below for 2023 and subsequent years.
|
Year |
Estimated VAT €m |
|
2023 |
33 |
|
2024 |
33 |
|
2025 |
34 |
With regard to whether the reduction was passed on to consumers, I am further advised by Revenue that VAT returns do not require traders to disaggregate their supplies by product or service. As such, tax returns cannot be used to determine whether the benefit of zero-rating was passed on to consumers.
It should be noted that this VAT measure was introduced is in line with the government’s commitment to support an independent press and the Future of Media Commission’s recommendation on this matter.
