The top 400 earners in the country earned a combined total of €715 million in salaries, rental and other income in 2002, of which they paid just under €175 million in tax, according to new data from the Revenue Commissioners. The figures show that €210 million was paid out in directors salaries to the top earners.
A further €175 million was earned under Schedule D, which is the category used to denote the self employed, including barristers and hospital consultants.
The 400 earned a further €55 million in rental income, and €273 million in other payments, including dividends and other PAYE income.
The figures were provided to Labour finance spokeswoman Joan Burton by the Department of finance, and are the latest available for the country's top earners.
Last month the Revenue Commissioner's published its latest report of the top 400 earners, which showed that 43 people who earned over €1 million in 2002 paid less than 5 per cent tax on their income.
The report also indicated that six people who earned more than €1 million paid no tax.
It also showed a marked increase in tax-avoidance activity by the super-rich. They paid an effective tax rate of 24.4 per cent - less than the 28.9 per cent average in 2001. In total, the 400 highest earners paid less than €175 million on their €715 million income in 2002.
Last month the Minister for Finance Brian Cowen signed the order which will phase out a series of the most lucrative tax breaks, on hotels and other projects, beginning from next year.
Yesterday Ms Burton said the €715 million figure was likely to be much higher, as it did not include any capital gains figures on property or share sales, which attract a tax rate of 20 per cent.
"The €715 million figure, while extraordinary in itself, is only a partial figure," she said. "These are extraordinary wealthy people who are likely to have made significant amounts of money from the sustained property boom that the country has experienced," she said.
The figures were further evidence of the amount of tax the super-rich are avoiding, she claimed. "These figures don't even include the very wealthy who have gone off-shore, yet they still show how they have the capacity to manipulate the tax code to pay a much lower rate than ordinary PAYE taxpayers."
She also criticised the Revenue Commissioners for not releasing the information on the gross earnings along with the other figures in its report last month.
"I really think that it's time the Revenue Commissioners published far more detail regarding statistics on wealthy individuals, which they could do without identifying any individual," she said.
"They are actually shielding very important information from the public gaze. The very wealthy like to be very private and the Revenue Commissioners are playing ball with that."