Cathal Crowe
Ceist:102. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Finance the estimated full-year cost to the Exchequer of introducing a tax relief of 20% for counselling and psychotherapy. [39835/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 8 October 2024
Ceisteanna (102)
Freagraí scríofa
Section 469 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 provides for tax relief where an individual proves that he or she has incurred costs in respect of qualifying health expenses.
Only "health expenses" incurred in the provision of “health care”, which has been carried out or advised by (in certain circumstances) a practitioner, will qualify for tax relief.
Health care is defined as the “prevention, diagnosis, alleviation or treatment of an ailment, injury, infirmity, defect or disability”.
Health expenses are defined as “expenses in respect of the provision of health care” and may include, but are not limited to, the following:
• the services of a practitioner,
• diagnostic procedures carried out on the advice of a practitioner,
• maintenance or treatment necessarily incurred in connection with the services of a practitioner or diagnostic procedures carried out on the advice of a practitioner, and
• drugs or medicines supplied on the prescription of a practitioner.
A practitioner is defined as "any person who is:
• registered in the register established under section 43 of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007,
• registered in the register established under section 26 of the Dentists Act, 1985, or,
• in relation to health care provided outside the State, entitled under the laws of the country in which the care is provided to practice medicine or dentistry there".
In the case of counselling or psychotherapy services, currently relief may be available in circumstances where the practitioner administering the services or referring the individual for a diagnostic procedure, as the case may be, is a qualified practitioner as defined above.I would note that the health expenses relief is a broadly availed of relief. In 2022, the cost of tax relief for health expenses (excluding nursing home expenses) was €201.1 million and it was availed of by 662,900 claimants.Data is not currently available linking the numbers attending counselling and psychotherapy services and the associated costs incurred and the tax liabilities of those individuals, and therefore, it is not possible to provide an estimated full-year cost of introducing a tax relief of 20 per cent for counselling and psychotherapy.