Just eight parents opt not to claim child benefit

Even though up to 130,000 people earned over €100,000 last year, just eight parents have contacted the Department of Social Protection since 2012 saying they do not need child benefit.

A debate has raged since the downturn about the fairness of paying the €140 per month benefit to everyone from millionaires to the unemployed. Ryanair boss and millionaire Michael O’Leary called for it to be scrapped, describing it as “a subsidy for people having sex”.

Last year, the top 1% of income earners in Ireland had an average annual pay of €373,000, while the bottom 90% earned just €27,400.