Single worker

Margaret is 30, single and lives in Dublin.

She works for an advertising company and earns an annual salary of €35,000.

Margaret has the use of a company car, valued at €25,000. Her business mileage is 8,500 per annum.

Margaret owns a two-bedroom apartment, one of the rooms of which is let to a friend for €350 per month.

She avails of the rent-a-room relief, and therefore she does not have to pay income tax on the extra rental income from her home.

She also claims mortgage interest relief, which is now given at source by the lending institution.

Margaret is glad that the two reliefs in respect of her property will remain in 2005.

However, overall Margaret is disappointed.

She had hoped to be better off by more than €49 per month after this Budget.