How much tax is paid by the Irish and where does all that money go?

armabelle · 23-05-2016 01:43PM #1

I can think of a few places where the government spends money like roads, hospitals and parks but was wondering if someone could give me the whole list of where the peoples tax money go. Does some of the money go to bailing out banks here in Ireland as well?

newacc2015 · 23-05-2016 01:47PM

armabelle wrote: »

I can think of a few places where the government spends money like roads, hospitals and parks but was wondering if someone could give me the whole list of where the peoples tax money go. Does some of the money go to bailing out banks here in Ireland as well?

The budget breaks down the spending of the state. It is document available online. All the papers publish condensed versions of it

CIARAN_BOYLE · 23-05-2016 01:52PM

Expenditure is here anyway
http://www.budget.gov.ie/Budgets/2016/Documents/Part%20II%20Expenditure%20Allocations%202016%20-%202018.pdf

armabelle · 23-05-2016 02:10PM

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Expenditure is here anyway
http://www.budget.gov.ie/Budgets/2016/Documents/Part%20II%20Expenditure%20Allocations%202016%20-%202018.pdf

Great thanks. Good to see that is available. But how does the average person know how much tax is really paid and how much is really spent? Is it fair to say that we can't possibly know and all we can do is hope that the money is spent correctly and as it is reported?

L1011 · 23-05-2016 02:31PM

armabelle wrote: »

Great thanks. Good to see that is available. But how does the average person know how much tax is really paid and how much is really spent?

They can know if they are bothered to check.

armabelle wrote: »

Is it fair to say that we can't possibly know and all we can do is hope that the money is spent correctly and as it is reported?

No.

Carlos Orange · 23-05-2016 02:31PM

http://www.publicpolicy.ie/where-does-your-tax-go/

relax carry on · 23-05-2016 03:08PM

armabelle wrote: »

Great thanks. Good to see that is available. But how does the average person know how much tax is really paid and how much is really spent? Is it fair to say that we can't possibly know and all we can do is hope that the money is spent correctly and as it is reported?

Here's your collection figures for 2015.

http://www.revenue.ie/en/about/publications/annual-reports/2015/results.html

Geuze · 24-05-2016 12:19PM

armabelle wrote: »

I can think of a few places where the government spends money like roads, hospitals and parks but was wondering if someone could give me the whole list of where the peoples tax money go. Does some of the money go to bailing out banks here in Ireland as well?

Have a read here:

http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/gfsa/governmentfinancestatisticsapril2016/

2015 Govt revenue = 70,492m, of which:

tax = 50,748m
PRSI = 11,429m

Geuze · 24-05-2016 12:22PM

2015 Govt exp = 75,429m, of which

wages/pensions = 19,543m

social welfare and other social benefits = 27,988m

goods and services = 9,324m

interest = 6,747m

Geuze · 24-05-2016 12:23PM

armabelle wrote: »

Does some of the money go to bailing out banks here in Ireland as well?

The funds spent on injecting capital into banks was a few years ago.

armabelle · 24-05-2016 06:28PM

Geuze wrote: »

The funds spent on injecting capital into banks was a few years ago.

Ah so capital was injected into banks here too then?

armabelle · 24-05-2016 06:29PM

Geuze wrote: »

2015 Govt exp = 75,429m, of which

wages/pensions = 19,543m

social welfare and other social benefits = 27,988m

goods and services = 9,324m

interest = 6,747m

thanks for the breakdown... how do we know that those numbers are correct though? I mean they say 19 million goes to wages and pensions but who can say for sure?

L1011 · 24-05-2016 07:42PM

armabelle wrote: »

thanks for the breakdown... how do we know that those numbers are correct though? I mean they say 19 million goes to wages and pensions but who can say for sure?

Because there is zero reason as to why they'd falsify them.

barneystinson · 24-05-2016 08:04PM

armabelle wrote: »

thanks for the breakdown... how do we know that those numbers are correct though? I mean they say 19 million goes to wages and pensions but who can say for sure?

Well it depends on who you mean by "they" - unless you're a tin foil hat wearer who thinks that everyone else is in on a conspiracy, you'd have to realise that it would require the complicity of hundreds (if not thousands) of people, from lowly clerical grades the whole way up to sec gens of the civil service, as well as govt ministers, to pull such a monumental amount of wool over everyone's eyes.

Not to mention Europe - don't you think they take a good long hard look at the cooking of our books??

And then there's all the economists, in both industry and academia, who pore over the data and trends in it - are they part of the "they", or are they like you and victims of the conspiracy...?

armabelle · 24-05-2016 08:26PM

barneystinson wrote: »

Well it depends on who you mean by "they" - unless you're a tin foil hat wearer who thinks that everyone else is in on a conspiracy, you'd have to realise that it would require the complicity of hundreds (if not thousands) of people, from lowly clerical grades the whole way up to sec gens of the civil service, as well as govt ministers, to pull such a monumental amount of wool over everyone's eyes.

Not to mention Europe - don't you think they take a good long hard look at the cooking of our books??

And then there's all the economists, in both industry and academia, who pore over the data and trends in it - are they part of the "they", or are they like you and victims of the conspiracy...?

don't really think anything, just asking questions for now and thanks for your input. Also, I don't recall saying anything about a conspiracy so not sure what you mean.

ElBarco · 24-05-2016 08:36PM

http://databank.per.gov.ie/ is also useful.

Geuze · 25-05-2016 12:22AM

armabelle wrote: »

thanks for the breakdown... how do we know that those numbers are correct though? I mean they say 19 million goes to wages and pensions but who can say for sure?

I am intrigued by your doubts about official statistics.

Rest assured that the dozens of staff in the CSO and the PER are keeping good track of all the revenue and spending.

Plus the figures are audited by the CAG.

Geuze · 25-05-2016 12:23AM

armabelle wrote: »

Ah so capital was injected into banks here too then?

By "here", I take it you mean Ireland?

Yes, the State spent 63-64 bn injecting capital into banks.

Geuze · 25-05-2016 12:27AM

armabelle wrote: »

Ah so capital was injected into banks here too then?

Bank%252520Recapitalisation%252520Payments_thumb%25255B8%25255D.png?imgmax=800

barneystinson · 25-05-2016 06:43AM

armabelle wrote: »

don't really think anything, just asking questions for now and thanks for your input. Also, I don't recall saying anything about a conspiracy so not sure what you mean.

Well it's the clear implication of a question like "how do we know "they" are telling us the truth..."; either that or arithmetic incompetence on a massive scale.

stefanovich · 25-05-2016 06:53AM

armabelle wrote:

I can think of a few places where the government spends money like roads, hospitals and parks but was wondering if someone could give me the whole list of where the peoples tax money go. Does some of the money go to bailing out banks here in Ireland as well?

1/3 is social welfare. 1/3 is health and 1/3 everything else.

Bear in mind that social welfare includes child allowance. Also bear in mind that those on social welfare are more likely to be uneducated and have a junk diet, smoke and drink excessively and use up health resources.

In summary most of your tax money is spent supporting the needy and the lazy. We need to deal with that second group.

Wanderer78 · 25-05-2016 07:42AM

stefanovich wrote:

In summary most of your tax money is spent supporting the needy and the lazy. We need to deal with that second group.

Some research required!

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo · 25-05-2016 07:53AM

stefanovich wrote: »

1/3 is social welfare. 1/3 is health and 1/3 everything else.

Bear in mind that social welfare includes child allowance. Also bear in mind that those on social welfare are more likely to be uneducated and have a junk diet, smoke and drink excessively and use up health resources.

In summary most of your tax money is spent supporting the needy and the lazy. We need to deal with that second group.

We had a figure of under 5% unemployment. It's currently at 8%. You are way overestimating the number of lazy people in this country.

From an economic point of view we want people to be smokers. The country makes a net gain from them.

The main issues with expenditure is public wages, pensions and waste in my opinion.

stefanovich · 25-05-2016 08:25AM

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

We had a figure of under 5% unemployment. It's currently at 8%. You are way overestimating the number of lazy people in this country.

From an economic point of view we want people to be smokers. The country makes a net gain from them.

The main issues with expenditure is public wages, pensions and waste in my opinion.

8% of people who are old or young enough to work and who are not "disabled".

Also a lot of employed people are still getting social welfare. In fact anyone with a child is.

I said we need to deal with the lazy. The needy, that's okay in my book.

1/3 is health, 1/3 is social welfare and 1/3 is everything else. This is fact.

Edit: A lot of the "social welfare" is wealth redistribution to folks who aren't so needy after all.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo · 25-05-2016 08:49AM

stefanovich wrote: »

8% of people who are old or young enough to work and who are not "disabled".

Also a lot of employed people are still getting social welfare. In fact anyone with a child is.

I said we need to deal with the lazy. The needy, that's okay in my book.

1/3 is health, 1/3 is social welfare and 1/3 is everything else. This is fact.

Edit: A lot of the "social welfare" is wealth redistribution to folks who aren't so needy after all.

I think paying children's allowance is a good thing. It's a small percentage of the total social welfare bill. If it was only restricted to be paid to those who truly need it, I think you would encourage a poverty trap.

The fact it's a blanket payment, and not an 'only those who are truly needy' payment, is encouraging to those who work, and doesn't encourage those who don't.

armabelle · 25-05-2016 09:18AM

Geuze wrote: »

By "here", I take it you mean Ireland?

Yes, the State spent 63-64 bn injecting capital into banks.

Ok thanks a lot for sharing the figures. So was this 64bn in the spending reports listed along with the others above? Did the Irish people have to pay that money to the banks? Oh and last question if you don't mind: How did this affect the standard of living in Ireland?

armabelle · 25-05-2016 09:19AM

barneystinson wrote: »

Well it's the clear implication of a question like "how do we know "they" are telling us the truth..."; either that or arithmetic incompetence on a massive scale.

No clear implications in that at all. If I wanted to be clear in implicating that, I would do it in other ways but I don't. It could just be that I am interested in knowing perhaps?

armabelle · 25-05-2016 09:21AM

Geuze wrote: »

I am intrigued by your doubts about official statistics.

Rest assured that the dozens of staff in the CSO and the PER are keeping good track of all the revenue and spending.

Plus the figures are audited by the CAG.

No doubts... just asking about it as I would like to understand it better. I couldn't possibly have doubts with my level of understanding on this topic. It would be unjust.

armabelle · 25-05-2016 09:21AM

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

We had a figure of under 5% unemployment. It's currently at 8%. You are way overestimating the number of lazy people in this country.

From an economic point of view we want people to be smokers. The country makes a net gain from them.

The main issues with expenditure is public wages, pensions and waste in my opinion.

don't smokers spend more time in hospitals?

armabelle · 25-05-2016 09:23AM

Geuze wrote: »

O k so saw this after my earlier post. Thanks! So this money came out of the pocket of the Irish people and did this impact on their standard of living in any way? seems like a lot of money...

armabelle · 25-05-2016 09:27AM

stefanovich wrote: »

8% of people who are old or young enough to work and who are not "disabled".

Also a lot of employed people are still getting social welfare. In fact anyone with a child is.

I said we need to deal with the lazy. The needy, that's okay in my book.

1/3 is health, 1/3 is social welfare and 1/3 is everything else. This is fact.

Edit: A lot of the "social welfare" is wealth redistribution to folks who aren't so needy after all.

I have a child... why am I not "getting"?

How much tax is paid by the Irish and where does all that money go?

Comments