Top 10% of earners contribute 2/3 of income tax take

Your point on the married single income paying no income tax up to €37k is really interesting as it highlights how overly generous tax credits makes the marginal tax curve phase in in such a jarring way…

€0-€12k - 4.5%
€12k- €25k - 6%

€25k-€37k - 8%
€37k-€51k - 28%
€51k-€70k - 48%
€70k+ - 52%

nothing, nothing, nothing then suddenly go nuclear at median salary.

On your first €50k earned you pay €5,900 in tax.

On your second €50k you pay €25,800 in tax.

A lot of people who complain about tax A) don't understand it and B) pay very little of it.

This is so true, there’s that cohort of people we hear about who “leave the figures to my accountant”

Do you or your family ever have need to see a doctor? Mine left for Qatar, and it wasn't for the family friendly atmosphere. You won't be able to replace them with qualified people locally or from overseas, as they will either leave themselves or won't come.

Given your attitude, I doubt you remember when a few years back, France decided to squeeze the rich. In addition to their already high income taxes, they were to pay 1% of the value of their world wide assets annually, in addition, so they left in droves - 42,000 of them. Not only did they stop paying the wealth tax, they stopped paying income tax and VAT. The wealth tax was estimated to have ended up reducing France's tax take by double the amount it was supposed to collect.

The tax exiles would still have to pay those taxes for some time I'd assume since they'd be domiciled and ordinarily resident there for several years even after leaving. You can't escape the taxman by simply moving location.

Other countries such as US make it next to impossible to escape taxes via global tax on all US citizens

But there needs to be a recognition that society has helped people get to the income level people are on. And also that some people are lucky in what job they have (e.g. people have extremely demanding jobs that have been deemed as lower paid - nurses, early years teachers, stuff like that).

We are a society, those who have more should pay more. I don't think this is an extreme belief.

It's hilarious how people want to rail against the "rich" and don't realise they are referring to their friends (and colleagues) in more than a few cases.

btw just curious, is there an exit tax rate for individuals who decide to leave Ireland permanently, or for the forseeable future?

Only if they fly out of Knock! (And its still a tenner.)

Go and leave then! There won't be any tears from us. The state won't collapse. Life will go on. You're far less important than you think you are.

Do you ever consider that they could be railing against themselves? I know the greedy people here won't even contemplate that. I'm in a cushy number, all my friends and family are as well. I know how easy we all have it despite our moaning. Think how hard it would be trying to live in this economy on the average wage!

Here's a real world response.

You are in the privilaged position to be paid multiples of the average person.

You choose to live and work in Ireland for non-finance based reasons, obviously, since our taxes are already 52% for anything over 40k. You are very likely in the vanishingly small minority of people who's employer would go to such lengths to accommodate you.

So why are you here? It's likely because Ireland is better than the alternatives, for whatever reasons.

On the topic of where your tax goes:

It goes to the private schools your children are in. They are part publicly funded.

It goes to the hospitals you may receive your care in. I don't believe there is a single hospital that received no public funds.

It goes to the roads you drive on, the Gardai who provide your security, and the ambulances and fire service who provide your safety.

It will likely go to the universities your children may attend.

It goes to the power, water and data infrastructure that you use daily.

You get a lot of benefits in return for paying taxes. Far more than you would be able to provide yourself privately.

By all means you can move if taxes increase, but don't kid yourself that your situation is so common as to make an appreciable dent in the tax take, and don't kid yourself that you are so mobile as to move anywhere in the world. We all have restrictions on picking up and leaving, whether they are work or family.

Where's my tiny violin?

Typical response from a guy who hasn't two cents to rub together.

There are a lot of people on 6 figures in MNCs that can move. And they can move with ease.

If enough of them move, the companies themselves struggle to attract talent and they move their base.

These people are already giving over half of the majority of their salary to the tax man, whilst many around them contribute zero.

We do well enough from them already & no need to demonise and further tax them until they cant justify staying in the country any longer.