Exchequer Records €700 Million Surplus in First Half of 2026 Driven by Tax Receipts

Ireland's Exchequer recorded a surplus of €700 million for the first half of 2026, primarily driven by robust income and corporation tax receipts.

Income tax collections between January and June reached €18.6 billion, marking a 6.7% increase compared to the first six months of 2025. June proved particularly strong for corporation tax, with €7.5 billion collected during that month alone. Cumulatively, corporation tax receipts for the year to date totaled €13.7 billion, an increase of €600 million, or 4.7%, over the first half of the previous year.

Overall tax revenue from January to June amounted to €50 billion, a marginal increase of 1.2% compared to the same period last year. Excluding one-off tax receipts from the Apple tax windfall, total tax receipts were €2.3 billion, or 4.8%, higher.

Conversely, capital tax income experienced a year-on-year decline in the first half of 2026. Stamp Duty receipts for January-June were €819 million, down €31 million from 2025. Capital gains tax receipts also decreased by €60 million to €409 million, and capital acquisitions tax fell by €107 million to €161 million. On the expenditure side, total exchequer spending for the first half of the year was €61.4 billion, encompassing gross voted and non-voted expenditure. Total gross voted expenditure to date stands at €54.4 billion, which is €3.5 billion (6.9%) higher than the same period last year but 1% below forecast.