Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
348. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the total tax expenditure on the research and development tax credit in the most recent available year; the number of corporations that received the credit as a cash refund; of those, the number of corporations that had no corporation tax liability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45057/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Research and Development (R&D) tax credit is a broad measure available to all companies carrying on qualifying R&D activities. It provides companies with a tax credit equal to 35 per cent of the qualifying expenditure incurred on qualifying R&D activities. The R&D tax credit has been a cornerstone of our corporation tax policy since its introduction in 2004 providing support for cutting-edge scientific and technological research for over two decades.
I am advised by Revenue that the most recent year for which the requested information on the R&D tax credit is available is 2023.
The total tax expenditure on the R&D tax credit in 2023 was €976 million. The number of companies that claimed the R&D tax credit was 1,804, of these, the number that received the credit as a cash refund was 941 and the number of those companies that had no corporation tax liability was less than 10. Due to Revenue’s obligation to protect the confidentiality of taxpayer data, as provided for in Section 851A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, it is not possible to provide data in relation to the exact number due to the low number of taxpayers involved.
I am additionally advised by Revenue that the total tax expenditure on the R&D tax credit for 2024 was €1,263 million and that further data in relation to 2024 R&D tax credit will be published in the coming weeks on the Revenue website at: www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/information-about-revenue/statistics/tax-expenditures/r-d-credits/index.aspx.
