6. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he plans to change the rates of capital acquisitions tax or the thresholds at which the rates are paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65024/25]

Sentiment score: 0.01

This is my first Dáil engagement with the Tánaiste in his position as Minister of Finance. I take this opportunity to wish him all the best in that role. I look forward to working with him in his capacity as Minister into the future. What, if any, plans does the Tánaiste have in place to examine either the rates of capital acquisition tax or the relief thresholds for gifting or inheriting?

Sentiment score: 0.45

Inflation has risen sharply in recent years. Nowhere is this more evident than in urban areas, particularly in Dublin. The median house price in the capital now stands well above the €400,000 group A CAT threshold, yet there has been no recent adjustment to this threshold to reflect this mismatch between asset value and tax policy. This discrepancy often results in a difficult outcome where an individual inheriting a family home from a parent suddenly faces a significant tax liability. This often forces people to either remortgage a property or liquidate it in order to discharge that debt. Has the Department conducted any detailed modelling on the cost to the Exchequer of increasing the group A threshold? Has any serious consideration been given to linking future thresholds dynamically to the official house price index for greater fairness?

Sentiment score: 0.06

Individuals who are childless, by choice or otherwise, now make up nearly one in five adults but are effectively penalised under the current capital acquisitions tax regime. Without children to access the larger group A threshold, they are relegated to the much lower group B limit of €40,000 applicable for siblings, nieces and nephews, or even just the €20,000 under group C for all other cases. This means a third of the substantial value of an inheritance, which is often a family home, is paid out in tax liability. The Minister will appreciate this creates a profound unfairness for the 18% of people who are childless when it comes to inheritance. Will the Minister commit to keeping those reliant on group B and group C thresholds under active consideration when devising any changes to inheritance tax policy in next year's budget?

Sentiment score: 0.38