Overview
- The Department of Finance says total tax revenue for January–June 2026 was €50 billion, producing an Exchequer surplus of €700 million for the first half of the year.
- Income tax was strong at €18.6 billion, a 6.7% rise year‑on‑year, while corporation tax receipts totalled €13.7 billion in H1 with a €7.5 billion inflow in June.
- Overall receipts were just 1.2% higher than a year earlier but were 4.8% stronger if the one‑off €14 billion Apple payment from late 2024 is excluded, showing healthier underlying momentum.
- Excise receipts fell sharply as temporary fuel excise cuts and a fuel support scheme reduced collections to about €0.4 billion in June, and gross voted expenditure is running €3.5 billion (6.9%) ahead of last year at €54.4 billion.
- Tánaiste and Finance Minister Simon Harris said the numbers are broadly in line with expectations on Friday, warned that corporation tax is highly volatile, and confirmed a pathway to restore excise duty rates over time, leaving the budget balance sensitive to timing and one‑off items.