Taxation plays a key role in shaping Irish society

Ireland, with a tax take of 31.1% of GDP (in 2014), is defined as a low-tax economy by Eurostat. This is part of the reason why our services and infrastructure do not measure up to European standards.  Any decision to raise or reduce Ireland’s overall taxation revenue should be linked to demands on government resources.

If we wish to have access to European-average levels of services and social infrastructure here in Ireland, it stands to reason that our government must therefore collect European-average levels of taxation.  Taxation plays a key role in shaping Irish society through funding important public services, supporting economic activity and redistributing resources to enhance fairness.  Higher taxation does not have to mean increased income tax. There are other, fairer, ways to broaden the tax base and increase the tax take.

In the run up to the election Social Justice Ireland has produced a short briefing on Taxation outlining some key challenges and policy recommendations.  To read more on this issue please click here