Tax - Commission on Tax - Ernst & Young - Ireland

Commission on Tax

The first Commission on Taxation, established by then Minister for Finance Michael O’Kennedy, had its first meeting on 14 April 1980. Between July 1982 and October 1985, the Commission issued five reports containing recommendations on direct taxation, on the role of incentives, on indirect taxation, on special taxation, and on tax administration.

A new Commission for Taxation was established by the government on 14 February 2008 to review the structure, efficiency and appropriateness of the Irish taxation system. In setting up the Commission, the Tánaiste, Brian Cowen, TD, indicated that its work would help establish the framework within which tax policy would be set for the next decade at least.

The Commission invited submissions in writing from interested parties to assist in its deliberations. Ernst & Young has made a submission based primarily on the views of our clients, highlighting issues such as the high cost of employers' PRSI, the tax treatment of intellectual property, and the administrative burden involved in claiming tax reliefs. Download a copy of our submission to the Commission on Taxation.

The report of the Commission on Taxation was published on 7 September 2009. In its report the Commission has come up with a package of  over 250 recommendations in response to its mandate. Click here for more.

Commission on Taxation 2009 recommendations
Download the Commission on Taxation executive summary.
Download the Commission on Taxation 2009 Report. 

The Commission on Taxation's remit is too broad
The Commission on Taxation have been given 'an enormous task to balance competitiveness, taxation and fairness' and has been asked to consider areas that are distracting from its overall remit says PJ Henehan, Tax Partner. First published in Finance Dublin,  July 2009. Read more 

Extracts from the recommendations of the first Commission on Taxation

Useful links

The Commission on Taxation website.