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Corporation Tax take rose by over 17% last year to almost €33bn - Department of Finance

The jump in Corporation Tax helped push the total amount received by the Exchequer last year to €105.7 billion
The jump in Corporation Tax helped push the total amount received by the Exchequer last year to €105.7 billion

Almost €33 billion in Corporation Tax was paid by companies last year, according to Exchequer Returns from the Department of Finance.

The figure is up by 17.2% compared to 2024.

The increase is mainly driven by a surge in payments from multinationals.

Corporation Tax paid last month also rose by €1 billion compared to December 2024, excluding the impact of the payment of back taxes by Apple.

The increase in the Corporation Tax helped boost the total amount collected by the State last year to €105.7 billion, a rise of 8.6%.

Income Tax rose by 4.3% to €36.5 billion last year, which is seen as an indication of a strong jobs market.

VAT rose 5.1% to €22.9 billion, which shows healthy consumer spending. Excise last year was up 3% to €6.4 billion.

Total spending was €109.4 billion, which was 5.5% up on 2024.

Excluding payments by Apple there was an Exchequer surplus of €3.8 billion last year, an improvement of €2 billion on 2024.

Last year, payments from Apple were €1.7 billion compared to €10.9 billion in 2024.

The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council said this evening that Government spending is increasing at a "fast pace, leading to large overruns."

It said expenditure for last year was €3.9 billion higher than forecast in Budget 2025. It said there was overruns in most departments.

It said that as a result overruns are likely to be repeated this year.

It said the public finances are now increasingly reliant on corporation tax which now accounts for three in every ten euro collected by the Government.

Minister for Finance Simon Harris said that Corporation Tax receipts are "about a third" of receipts collected by the State.

He said the payments were "heavily reliant" on a small number of multinational funds.

He added: "We are going to build up our fiscal buffers in the years ahead".

In response to criticism from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, which said the Government was setting aside a lower proportion of Corporation Tax under its plans, Minister Harris said that it was also investing in infrastructure and would have larger Government surpluses as well as investing in two long-term saving funds.

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