Finance Bill 2025 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-09
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Conor Murphy (SF), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I move recommendation No. 1:
In page 8, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following:
“Report on Universal Social Charge
3. The Minister shall, within 3 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on removing the Universal Social Charge from the first €40,000 a person earns.”.
This recommendation is about ensuring that the first €40,000 anyone earns will be exempt from the universal social charge, USC. This would be a targeted measure, although everybody who earns up to that amount would benefit. The cut-off is €40,000, which is appropriate. This amendment would benefit people by up to €746, which would make a real difference, particularly in the cost-of-living crisis. This is about providing real and substantial tax relief to workers across the State, something that the Government chose not to do in the budget. It is both surprising and amazing that with a budget of €9.4 billion, the Government managed to leave workers worse off. Once again, ordinary workers in the State are carrying the can for the excesses of the banks, while the banks continue to enjoy the protected status under this Finance Bill. That is why I proposed the recommendation.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:26+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-09