Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 September 2025
316. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance the projected cost to the Exchequer in 2026 of mortgage interest relief and his Department's assessment of its impact on first-time buyers in Cork and Munster. [51169/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe number of taxpayer units who benefitted from the MITR in 2023 was 52,320, and the cost was estimated at €35.4 million. This is the first year the credit was claimable and is the latest year for which data is available, as the 2024 Form 11 filing deadline for self-assessed taxpayers has not yet passed. These figures are published in Revenue's Cost of Tax Expenditures publication, available at:
[www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/information-about-revenue/statistics/tax-expenditures/cost/index.aspx] .
While no data is available specifically in relation to first-time buyers and therefore it is not possible to assess the scheme's impact on that cohort, Revenue advise that the total number of beneficiaries of the MITR in 2023 in each county in Munster is as outlined in the table below. The numbers benefitting is provided on a taxpayer unit basis, which differs from a count of individuals as jointly assessed couples are counted as one taxpayer unit.
|
County |
Number of Taxpayer Units |
|
Clare |
1,070 |
|
Cork |
5,910 |
|
Kerry |
1,000 |
|
Limerick |
1,685 |
|
Tipperary |
1,260 |
|
Waterford |
1,270 |
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.
