Budget 2012

6 December 2011

Personal Taxation
• No changes in Income Tax rates, bands or credits.
• Universal social charge exemption increased from €4,004 to €10,036, and the move to a cumulative system will allow adjustments for under/over payments during the year.

Business Taxation
• Corporation tax exemption for new companies extended to 2014
• Employer’s relief from PRSI on pension contributions made by employees reduced to Nil from 1 January 2012 (currently 50% relief applies)
• No change in the Corporation Tax rate

Relevant Contracts Tax
• No changes to note

Indirect Taxes
• Standard VAT rate increased from 21% to 23% from 1 January 2012, in his speech Mr Noonan, said that this was the front loading of the increases in VAT from the EU/IMF deal and said that there will be no more increases in VAT in the life time of this government.
• Open farms can avail of tourism rate of 9% from 1 January 2012
• Increase in excise duty on cigarettes by 25c; no increase in alcohol excise duty, however legislation due on low cost selling

• Motor tax increases – average increase of 7.5% for cars taxed by engine capacity. But increases of over 50% for those taxed under the CO2 model (e.g. Class A increase of €56 to €160). This adjustment is required to reflect the increase in cars eligible for the lower CO2 model rates (17.69% of cars taxed in 2011 to date qualify, but they only account for 9.46% of the total motor tax income).

Stamp duty
• Abolition of multiple rates for non-residential stamp duty. For such instruments executed after 6 December 2011 a rate of 2% will apply.

Carbon Tax
• Increase of €5 to €20 per tonne on fossil fuels.

This equates to 1.4 cent per litre on petrol, and 1.6 cent per litre on diesel, this will take effect from midnight of the budget.

For a typical domestic oil fill of 1,000 litres of kerosene, the cost has increased by €14.40, and for natural gas €14.46 per kilowatt hour. Carbon tax increases on heating fuel will only take effect from 1st May 2012.

Capital Taxes from 6 December 2011 (midnight)
• Rate of capital acquisitions tax increased from 25% to 30%. Group A threshold to be reduced to €250,000.
• Rate of capital gains tax increased from 25% to 30%.
• New capital gains tax exemption for properties bought until the end of 2013, once property is held for at least seven years.

Miscellaneous Provisions & Announcements
• For items of public expenditure including health and social welfare, please see our Budget 2012 – Public Expenditure Measures page.
• Removal of the 36 day tax exemption for illness benefit.
• Mortgage interest relief to increase to 30% for first time buyers who bought at the height of the boom in the the period 2004 – 2008. A 25% rate applies for first time buyers in 2012, with a 15% rate for non-first-time buyers
• Household charge of €100 to be introduced in 2012, pending the development of a full property tax from 2014. Waiver for those on mortgage supplement and unfinished estates.
• DIRT rate increase by 3% for interest received on or after 1 January 2012

Summary Statistics

		Budget 2012	Budget 2011
Capital Gains Tax Rate		30%	25%

Capital Acquisitions Tax Rate		30%	25%
Income Tax Rates
	Lower	20%	20%
	Higher	41%	41%
DIRT Tax
		30%(33% – where payments made less frequently than annually)	27%/(30% where payments made less frequently than annually)
Tax Credits
	Single Person	€1,650	€1,650
	Married Couple	€3,300	€3,300
	PAYE Credit	€1,650	€1,650
Rate Bands
	Single/widowed	€32,800	€32,800
	Single/widowed with dependent children	€36,800	€36,800
	Married -one income earner	€41,800	€41,800
	Married – two income earners	€65,600	€65,600
PRSI
	Contribution Ceiling	No limit	No limit
Universal Social Charge
	< €4,004		Exempt
	< €10,036	Exempt
	€ 0 – €10,036	2%	2%
	€10,037 – €16,016	4%	4%
	>€16,016	7%	7%

…

Whilst every care has been taken in the production of this budget summary, neither Royal Canal Financial Control Services nor Ronan Duffy and Co. can be held responsible for any action taken or deferred, resulting from any errors contained therein. For a more comprehensive summary please refer to the government press release.