Universal Social Charge
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-25
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Catherine Callaghan (FG), Carlow-Kilkenny

I acknowledge all the work that has been done to date. I am sure the Minister hears from his constituents as regularly as I do that the fact that the USC was first introduced in 2011 as a temporary measure but is still with us 15 years later has made this particular tax a point of contention. I absolutely acknowledge the reality that there are many major investments into public services and infrastructure projects across the country that were only possible because of this tax, which, as the Minister mentioned, will bring in €5.9 billion this year.
The medium-term fiscal and structural plan, which the Minister published in December, is a strong statement of the Government's intent and ambition to achieve key social and economic targets. Of course, it is essential that under this plan, our public finances remain stable, resilient and ready, which goes to the Minister's point that there is a need to decide how exactly we make changes in the upcoming budget. While the USC will play a key role in delivering on this plan, I wonder, as we continue to experience a budget surplus, if there might be room to alleviate the pressure this tax places on certain sectors. For instance, would the Minister consider measures to increase the income disregard for USC or to reduce the amount payable on pension contributions at this time?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-25