Workers Solidarity Movement

Rich people in Ireland as elsewhere are good at not paying taxes. When you give them a chance to prove you wrong we get figures that show that in 2013 just 15 of the super wealthy paid a total of €1.8m.

Who are these rich people and how do they do it? By rich we mean that you have an income of more than €1 million rolling into you from around the world, and that you have assets of more than €5 million here. That is some wealth right there. How they manage it is that whilst they might live here they register to pay tax in a low-tax haven like Malta or Monaco.

The amount that these wealthy individuals are expected to pay in tax is set at €200,000. So if you paid €80,000 in income tax in Ireland you are only expected to make up the short fall of €120,000. It appears that the 15 people who did pay this tax in 2013 averaged a payment of €120,000 which sounds like leaving a few coppers in the jar.

We think the names of these generous souls should be released by revenue so that we can drop them line thanking them for their contributions.