Revenue has updated guidance on the age tax exemption and marginal relief available for individuals aged 65 or older providing additional details on claiming the exemption and the method by which the exemption is granted. The guidance clarifies that the age exemption is available where total income does not exceed the relevant exemption limit, and outlines that the four-year rule for making a refund claim applies where the taxpayer believes the exemption was due and was not applied. A new example has been included to outline a scenario where marginal relief is not beneficial to a taxpayer and other examples throughout the manual have been updated to reflect the standard rate tax bands and personal tax credits in place for the 2025 tax year.

The European Commission has published a report assessing the tax gaps in the EU and its Member States. The report highlights the benefits of reducing tax compliance gaps, including fostering fairer tax systems and sounder public finances.

Revenue has published new guidance providing details on the VAT treatment of extended warranties, manufacturers warranties and commission payments to retailers. The guidance outlines that the supply of an extended warranty is a VAT exempt supply of an insurance service where it meets the definition of insurance. The guidance contains relevant examples and outlines the meaning of insurance, extended warranties and manufacturers’ warranties.

The EU Council has agreed to introduce a temporary customs duty on parcels sent directly to consumers from third countries. Starting in July 2026, a €3 customs duty per item will apply on e-commerce parcels valued below €150.

The guidance on the Offshore Funds regime has been updated to clarify that that a reference to an offshore fund applies only to a foreign company, unit trust scheme, or co-ownership arrangement in which a person holds a ‘material interest’. Other relevant updates include: The use of the term ‘reasonably expected’ in accordance with section 743(2) TCA 1997 has been reflected in the guidance, and contact details for applications to Revenue for certification as a distributing offshore fund are included.

Revenue issued an e-brief last week outlining the new stamp duty exemption on acquisitions of stocks and marketable securities provided for by Finance Bill 2025. The note outlines the conditions applying to the exemption and the effective date of its introduction. The exemption will apply where: The securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market or a multilateral trading facility within the EU, or on an equivalent third country market, the issuing entity’s market capitalisation was below €1 billion on 1 December in the preceding year, and a valid notification of the applicable market capitalisation was submitted to Revenue within the specified timeframe. Where securities are admitted to trading after 1 December, the exemption may still apply if the issuer’s expected market capitalisation upon admission is below €1 billion. Subject to enactment of the relevant provisions in Finance Bill 2025, the exemption will take effect from 1 January 2026 and remain in place until 31 December 2030. As the exemption depends on timely notification to Revenue of the applicable market capitalisation, an overview of the proposed measure has been published on the Revenue website including instructions for submitting a notification together with links to the relevant forms. Comprehensive guidance is expected to be issued once Finance Bill 2025 has been enacted.

The EU Parliament’s Subcommittee on Tax Matters held a public hearing on the taxation of ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Noting diverse opinions on the impact of potential new wealth taxes on individuals, the committee recognised the need for equitable tax rules that foster sustainable growth and strengthen competitiveness.

Revenue has published two new guidance documents providing details on the VAT treatment of establishing and managing a pension scheme and the VAT treatment of the management of pension schemes. The new guidance consolidates information from previous related guidance documents, which have now been withdrawn. The guidance on the VAT treatment of establishing and managing a pension scheme provides information on the relevant conditions for VAT deductibility in respect of costs incurred in the establishment, on-going management, administration, and management of the assets of a pension scheme. Examples are included outlining the VAT treatment in situations where a pension scheme reimburses costs incurred by the employer and where the employer reimburses the pension scheme. The new guidance on the VAT treatment of the management of pension schemes provides information on VAT treatment and VAT deductibility of defined benefit and defined contribution schemes. Previous guidance on the VAT treatment of the management of defined benefit pension schemes and the management of a defined contribution occupational pension scheme are now marked as no longer relevant.

The OECD has published its report on Revenue Statistics for 2025. The report provides data on tax revenues in OECD countries which had reached their highest-ever level in 2024, mainly driven by labour taxes.

Readers are reminded that today is the payment deadline for capital gains tax (CGT) liabilities arising in the period 1 January to 30 November 2025. Revenue’s CGT webpage details how to register for CGT via MyAccount. CGT payments can be made online using a debit/credit card or a one-off single debit instruction. Readers should ensure that any debit instruction mandated in the last few weeks will still be active at the time the payment is taken. Revenue has advised that ROS Debit Instruction (RDI) mandates expire after 36 months if a payment has not been authorised during that time (due to restrictions in banking). Therefore, if an RDI is set up before the expiry of the 36-month window and the payment is taken after the 36-month window (assuming no other payments have been authorised during that period), the RDI may not be processed, putting the taxpayer into a default position.

As previously reported in Tax News, the Department of Finance published its Revised General Scheme of Finance (Tax Appeals and Fiscal Responsibility) Bill 2024, which contained, among other things, proposals to substantially alter the adjudication process at the Tax Appeals Commission. As part of the pre-legislative scrutiny process of the Bill, the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation were inviting submissions from interested groups. On Friday, the Institute sent in our submission to inform the discussions. Our fundamental concern relates to the proposal that adjudication at the Tax Appeals Commission would be in private in exceptional circumstances only and that redaction of determinations would be at the discretion of the Appeals Commissioner. You can read our full submission here. Our view is that appeals heard by the Tax Appeals Commission (TAC) can be substantially differentiated from those heard by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC): In Zalewski v Adjudication Officer and the Workplace Relations Commission, Ireland, and the Attorney General [2022] 1 IR 421 (“Zalewski”), the individual had no right to have a hearing before the WRC heard in public. It is already the case that a taxpayer can make an application to have an appeal before the TAC heard in public. Unlike the WRC, the TAC does not arbitrate between private parties (as was the case in Zalewski, which concerned the operation of the WRC). The role of the TAC is to consider and determine whether an assessment made by the Revenue Commissioners (an executive arm of the State), should be confirmed or varied. Fundamental to the operation of the self-assessment tax compliance process is the principle of confidentiality of taxpayer data. The proposed amendments to the TAC procedures must be established in light of this fundamental and legislatively enshrined principle. This starting point therefore necessitates that the fundamental principle of public hearings must be limited for cases heard at the TAC. We also note that the TAC, under its current procedural mandate, preserves a taxpayer’s right to privacy under Article 40.3.1 of the Constitution. To the extent that any amendment is made, it should ensure that a taxpayer’s right to privacy remains protected with an irrefutable right to request a private hearing and redaction of identifying information for all cases brought before the TAC.

Revenue is extending the timeline for the completion of the Large Corporates Division (LCD) VAT modernisation and eInvoicing survey to 5pm on 16 January 2026. We encourage members working in VAT-registered businesses under the remit of LCD and those advising LCD VAT-registered businesses to share their insights with Revenue and to urge their clients to complete the survey. Please note, while the survey requests the business name and tax registration number, these are not mandatory and do not need to be provided in order to complete the survey. You can leave these boxes blank and still respond. The survey has issued, on 20 November, directly to businesses through Revenue’s Online Services (ROS) and the results will inform Ireland’s implementation of the EU’s VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) package and the implementation of eInvoicing in Ireland. Queries can be sent to VATmodernisation@revenue.ie, and all relevant updates on VAT modernisation will be published at revenue.ie/vatmod. Further details regarding the survey are included in our earlier newsletter item.