**Budget Day: Tuesday, 7 October 2025 — 6 days to go**
Budget 2026: A Wish List for Fairness, Simplicity and Stability
(Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe will deliver the tax package alongside the Minister
for Public Expenditure.)
Hope is not a strategy. Predictions are plentiful, but perspective is rare.
No Budget can do everything — but the right Budget can do something powerful: give families, entrepreneurs, and savers confidence in the future.
At Atlantic Wealth Management, we don’t lobby for loopholes. We advocate for fairness,
simplicity, and stability. Wealth is about purpose, planning, and legacy — Purpose → Plan → Portfolio — always people first, money second.
Important note: This is a wish list, not a forecast. We know it’s unlikely all of these
reforms will be adopted. Progress begins with conversation — and clarity begins with advocacy.
1) Savers & Patience — unlock €167bn in idle cash
Irish households hold €167.1bn on deposit (Central Bank, July 2025). Not because people
love cash — but because the system nudges them there.
– Funds face a 41% exit tax, vs 33% CGT on shares.- The 8-year deemed disposal taxes gains never even taken out.
– No loss relief means winners are taxed while losers don’t offset.
Fixing this — by aligning fund tax with CGT, scrapping deemed disposal, and allowing loss
relief — would unlock billions for investment.
Reward patience, don’t punish it. Unlock even 10% of idle deposits into pensions, homes,
and SMEs, and Ireland’s financial future transforms.
2) Families & Fairness — preserve legacies, not penalise them
The Small Gift Exemption
The Small Gift Exemption has been €3,000 since the Finance Act 2003. Two decades of
inflation have left it irrelevant. Raising it to €5,000 would let families pass meaningful
support between generations — for deposits, childcare, education — while cutting down
admin for Revenue.
Capital Acquisitions Tax
CAT thresholds — especially Group A (€400k parent→child; Group B €40k; Group C €20k)
— have lagged behind property prices. Indexing them annually to inflation and housing
costs would prevent families being forced to sell homes just to pay tax.
Indexation isn’t a tax tweak. It’s about preserving legacies without dismantling them.
3) Entrepreneurs & Competitiveness — reward risk, recycle jobs
Capital Gains Tax
At 33%, Ireland has one of Europe’s higher CGT rates. Cutting it to 30% won’t break the
Exchequer, but it would encourage reinvestment in Irish ventures.
Entrepreneur Relief
Entrepreneur Relief at €1m is outdated. Lifting it to €3m reflects today’s risk/reward of
building a business. Linking enhanced relief to payroll or job creation ties reward directly to
shared prosperity.
Every time an entrepreneur exits and reinvests, jobs follow. Tax should oil that wheel, not
jam it.
3) Retirement & Simplicity — help late starters catch up
Retirement reform has been well-intentioned but confusing.
– Auto-enrolment (My Future Fund) begins 1 January 2026.
– Since 2025, employer PRSA contributions are limited to 100% of salary; any excess is BIK
and not deductible.
– The Standard Fund Threshold will increase by €200k per year from 2026 → 2029 to
€2.8m; the maximum tax-efficient lump sum remains €500k (first €200k tax-free; next
€300k at 20%).
– The State Pension is transitioning to a 40-year Total Contributions Approach, with dual-
calculation applying through 2034.
Our wish list:
– Simplify language across PRSAs, master trusts, and auto-enrolment.
– Stabilise rules with multi-year certainty for employers.
– Support catch-up saving for owners in their 40s and 50s.
Delay is the norm. Policy should help late starters accelerate, not punish them.
sustainability — certainty drives adoption
Transport accounts for one-fifth of Ireland’s emissions. Yet tapering EV BIK relief from 2026
risks stalling momentum.
Current law reduces the original market value (OMV) by €35k (2025), €20k (2026), €10k
(2027), plus a temporary €10k universal reduction through 2025. Extending current reliefs
for three more years would give businesses and employees the confidence to go electric.
Certainty is the catalyst. Visibility on EV tax treatment could decarbonise more fleets than subsidies ever could.
The Atlantic Wealth perspective
Wealth is not a solo act. It is a team sport — played with accountants, tax advisers,
solicitors, and planners working in concert. Our role is to bring that inner circle together,
begin with the end in mind, and ensure wealth serves purpose, not just numbers.
Our litmus test for Budget 2026 is simple:
– Support families, not penalise them.
– Reward entrepreneurs, not punish them.
– Encourage savers, not discourage them.
– Build confidence through stability.
At Atlantic Wealth, our philosophy never changes: People First, Money Second.
Numbers matter. People matter more. Budget 2026 should prove it.
Because wealth is never just about money. It is about freedom, legacy, and the lives we choose to build.
Want to learn how Budget 2026 will impact you?
Book a 30-minute review with our team.
We’ll map what matters for your family or business and identify the two or three steps that count.
This content is for general information only and does not constitute tax, legal, or investment advice. Personal circumstances differ — please seek personalised professional advice before making decisions.
