Kebabs, burgers, chips and pizzas could all be hit with new levies under proposals from the Commission on Taxation.
The commission has suggested introducing a special rate for unhealthy “ultra-processed” foods.
If introduced, it would be similar to the ‘sugar tax’ brought in on fizzy drinks to discourage people from downing them.
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The Commission’s latest report was formally launched by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe on Wednesday.
The report states: “The Government should reserve the right to impose taxes on the consumption of ultra-processed foods, in order to support its policy of reformulation.”
However, it does not suggest how much the tax would be as this would be a decision for Minister Donohoe, his advisers in the Department of Finance and his political colleagues at Cabinet.
There are over 100 recommendations in the report on how the Government could collect tax ten and 15 years into the future.
They include hiking property taxes and road taxes.
It also points out that the massive amounts we collect in corporation taxes – €13billion this year – are not sustainable going into the future.
The Commission has told the Government that we will have to broaden the tax base to pay for all of the public services the State provides.
The report said: “The balance of taxation needs to move away from taxes on labour towards taxes on capital, wealth and consumption.
“We also need to reduce our over-reliance on Corporation Tax due to the relatively small number of taxpayers who contribute so largely.
“We cannot use the increase in Corporation Tax receipts as a reason to not reform other taxes, or as a reason to increase public spending.”
Labour Finance Spokesperson Ged Nash said: “The Tax and Welfare Commission report is an honest, independent assessment of how our taxation and welfare system needs to be re-orientated and broadened to meet the needs of citizens today and into the future, and to meet our ambitions for a fairer, more decent society and economy.
“The recommendations by and large align with Labour’s submission to the Commission. “Most wealth is held in assets and as the Commission has noted, we now need to shift the balance of taxation away from taxes on labour and towards taxes on capital and wealth.”
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