A Carlow-Kilkenny TD is calling for urgent tax threshold reforms in Budget 2027 to help local workers and struggling businesses.
Speaking in the Dáil, Catherine Callaghan highlighted a recent visit to O’Shea Farms, where staff are refusing overtime to avoid being pushed into higher tax brackets.
Deputy Callaghan argued that current fiscal policies penalise people for taking on extra hours, especially during peak seasonal periods in the agricultural sector.
She has urged the government to implement measures ensuring that local employees who work more are able to keep more of their earnings.
“They can’t get the staff to work overtime, not because the staff don’t want to do the work, but because overtime pushes them more often into the higher tax bracket and they end up with less money in their pockets rather than more.”
“So, the proposal is a simple one: if people are willing to work extra hours, they should be keeping more of that money in their pocket.”
