Tánaiste announces the establishment of Commission on Taxation

The Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, recently announced the establishment of a Commission on Taxation, fulfilling the commitment in the Programme for Government, to review the structure, efficiency and appropriateness of the Irish taxation system.

The terms of reference for the Commission are:

Having regard to the commitments on economic competitiveness and on taxation contained in the Programme for Government, in particular, the commitments:

• To keep the overall tax burden low and implement further changes to enhance the rewards of work while increasing the fairness of the tax system,
• To ensure that our regulatory framework remains flexible, proportionate and up to date,
• To introduce measures to further lower carbon emissions and to phase in on a revenue neutral basis appropriate fiscal measures including a carbon levy over the lifetime of the Government, and consider how best the tax system can encourage long term savings to meet the needs of retirement;
• Investigate fiscal measures to protect and enhance the environment including the introduction of a carbon tax.

The membership of the Commission consists of representatives from the Social Partners – representing the business, trade union, farming and voluntary sectors – the accounting and tax advisory sectors that advise private sector business, both small and large, and includes economic expertise and people who have wide experience in central and local government.

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