State accused of ‘smash-and-grab raid’ on taxpayers
When first elected in 1997, the Fianna Fáil-PD coalition promised to reduce the number of workers in the top tax bracket to 20% or less. That would mean just one-in-five workers paying tax at the 42% rate.
Instead, however, the number in the top bracket is steadily increasing. The latest figures, released by Finance Minister Brian Cowen to Labour TD Joan Burton, show that 32.85% - or one-in-three workers - are paying tax at the top rate.
