DUBLIN, Nov 4 (Reuters) – Ireland’s tax revenue rose 10.3% in the first 10 months of 2026 compared to a year earlier, excluding one-off proceeds from a ruling related to Apple back taxes, the finance ministry said on Wednesday.
A surge in corporate tax paid mainly by a small group of US multinationals has helped drive overall tax revenue to record levels each year since 2021 and handed the government large budget surpluses to spend and save.
Receipts are forecast to grow by another 5% on an underlying basis this year, with income tax and VAT returns, which were 8% and 7% higher respectively at the end of October, also contributing strongly.
While corporate tax receipts are up 23% so far this year compared to the same period in 2025, that is partly due to early payments that the finance ministry expect to even out by year-end.
Government spending was up 7.4% year-on-year by the end of last month, the data showed, with expenditure on day-to-day services again growing at a faster pace than major planned investments in public infrastructure.
(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; editing by William James)
