Call for end to relief fortrade union subscriptions

THE Commission of Taxation report has called for an end to tax relief for trade union subscriptions suggesting that membership is more likely to be a condition of employment rather than taken for €70 tax credit purposes.

As part of the commission’s wide-reaching blueprint for the reform of Ireland’s tax framework they also propose the discontinuation of PRSI exemption for employee share options.

The commission have said, however, that the tax-free status of employee share ownership trusts (ESOTs) should remain, on account that they “play a role in the modernisation and privatisation of State-controlled businesses.”