Budget 2023 Highlights

Minister Pascal Donoghue delivered his final Budget today, 27 September 2022. With inflation currently running at 8.5% and projected to be 7.5% in 2023, the so-called Cost of Living Budget was heavily focused on addressing rising energy costs. Below we outline the highlights of Budget 2023.

Enterprise/SMEs/Agri-sector

Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme to assist businesses with their energy costs over the winter months. Open to businesses carrying on Case I trade, are tax compliant and have experienced significant increase in gas and electricity costs. Read more about the scheme.
Extension of the KEEP scheme to end of 2025 with increasing the company limit to €6m.
Special Assignee Relief Programme (SARP) extended to 2025 with minimum income limit up to €100,000.
Section 481 Film Relief to be extended to 2028.
Changes in the Research and Development Tax Credit and Knowledge Development Box (KDB) regime, with a company having the option to call for payment of their eligible R&D tax credit or to request an offset against other liabilities. The existing caps on the amount’s payable is to be removed. The first €25,000 of a claim will be payable in year one. The KDB is being extended a further 4 years to 2027. To comply with changes in international tax, specifically the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), there will be legislation changes for an increase in the effective rate of the KDB to 10%.
Foreign Earning Deduction (FED) scheme to extended to end of 2025 and provides relief from income tax on up to €35,000 of income for employees required to travel out of the State to temporarily carry out duties of employment in certain qualifying countries.
New 10% levy on concrete products.
Accelerated Capital Allowances for the construction of modern slurry storage facilities whereby the cost will be written off over two rather than seven years.
The Stamp Duty Reliefs for Young Trained Framers and Farm Consolidation are being extended to end of 2025.
The Capital Gains Tax Relief for Farm Restructuring is also being extended to the end of 2025.
Two special Stock Relief measures for registered farm partnerships and for young trained farmers being extended until the end of 2024.

Housing

Vacant Home Tax charged at a rate equal to three times the property’s existing basic Local Property Tax (LPT) liability. It will apply to residential properties which are occupied by for less than 30 days in a 12-month period.
Help to Buy Scheme will be continued until end of 2024 in its current form.
A new Renter’s tax credit of €500 will be introduced and backdated to 2022.
The relief for landlords for pre-letting expenditure will continue with an increase in qualifying costs up to €10,000 and the period of vacancy reduced to 6 months.

VAT

The 9% VAT rate for the hospitality and tourism sector will cease in February, returning to 13.5% at this point.
The 9% VAT rate of electricity and gas will be extended until 28 February 2023.
Defibrillators, Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), Nicotine replacement products and period products will become VAT free.
VAT on newspapers, including digital editions, will be reduced to 0% from 1^st January 2023.

Personal Tax

Small change to the second rate-band of Universal Social Charge which will increase from €21,295 to €22,920.
Income Tax Standard Band will increase by €3,200 to €40,000, with the married single earner band increasing to €49,000.
Personal, PAYE and Earned Tax Credits will increase by €75.
Home Carer Tax Credit will increase by €100.

Other Measures

Revenue will conduct a range of targeted projects to include PAYE compliance interventions involving a focus on share schemes and increased debt management.

Read our Head of Tax Services, Eddie Murphy’s analysis of Budget 2023.