Budget 2017: Five tax decisions that will affect your pocket

It’s time for the crunch budget decisions to be finalised. Here are the five with the potential to have the biggest impact on your pocket.

And remember that, as Investec economic Philip O'Sullivan pointed out in a pre-budget note, the €330 million of tax cuts expected adds up to just €3 a week for everyone in work. So don't be getting too excited now.

1. Universal social charge cuts: In terms of wide impact, this is the big one, but because there is so little money to spend the overall gains may be limited.

The signs are that the two lower USC rates will be cut by half a point each and the amount you earn before you have to pay USC – €13,000 – will be hiked.

Lower rates benefit all earners, but the net gains here will be limited – less than €2 a week. The big question is whether the main 5.5 per cent rate – which applies on income between about €18,600 and €70,000 – will be cut.

If it was cut by half a point as well, the total package would deliver almost €5 a week to someone on €50,000 a year.

2. The clawbacks: Because the sums are so tight, there are likely to be tweaks to claw back some of the gains you get from USC cuts.

There had been a proposal to increase the PRSI take on lower incomes, which would take back some of the gains of the USC cuts. It is not clear if this is still in play.

There will certainly be measures to claw back gains from the USC cuts from higher earners.

There was a pre-budget proposal to do this via tax credit changes and it could also be done via tweaks in higher USC rates. Either way, the bottom line for higher earners is that they are likely to see limited net gains, and certainly no more in cash terms that their middle-income brethren.

And as tax bands and credits will not be indexed for inflation, a bit more of any pay rise you receive will be taken by the tax man.

3. Fags and diesel – and sugary drinks : Your cigarettes will be more expensive – and diesel also looks set to rise significantly, given its gap with petrol and environmental arguments.

The excise gap is 22 per cent or 11 cent a litre at the moment. Government pre-budget papers suggest it might be closed over five years.

Either way, your diesel motor is going to cost more to fill. On tobacco, one tweak may be that the minimum excise duty on cigarettes may increase, which would mean a proportionately greater increase on lower-priced packets – perhaps as much as 17 cent extra a pack.

The much-discussed sugary drinks tax – which could add 10 cent to your fizzy can – may be signalled, but is unlikely to come into effect into 2018.

4. The self-employed: The earned-income tax credit for the self-employed is due to double from €550 to €1,100 – a credit is effectively cash straight back into your pocket.

This is part of a three-year move to equalise the treatment between the PAYE sector, which gets a €1,650 PAYE credit each year, and the self-employed, which, before 2016, did not get any matching credit.

It also appears that capital gains tax will be cut for entrepreneurs selling their businesses, subject to restrictions, possibly to 10 per cent.

As part of a Brexit package there will also be changes to share-based remuneration rules making share options and similar arrangements more attractive.

5. Inheritances for children: The programme for government commits to increase the limit that applies to children inheriting from their parents, in particular to limit exposure when they inherit houses.

These limits were cut heavily in recent years and currently a 33 per cent rate applies on inheritances from parents to children of more than €280,000.

The speculation is that this limit may rise to €320,000, with indications of a further rise in years to come.

In true Irish pre-budget fashion a row has now started on whether this discriminates against childless families, so the plan could yet change by budget day.