Michael Houghton: ‘Our combined income is almost double what it was in 2022, yet strangely we don’t feel like we have twice as much to play with’High tax rates at relatively modest income levels create a strange reality in Ireland: very few people are truly poor, but very few people feel truly rich eitherIreland has a progressive tax system in which the rate of tax rises with an increase in income. Photo: GettyMichael Houghton Today at 06:30Sitting in a restaurant in Carrigaholt, Co Clare recently, my older son looked through the menu and said, “Is it OK if I have the surf and turf?” Having a quick browse of the menu, I noticed the cost of the meal was €37. “Ummm, could you have a burger?” was my initial reaction.

Source: Irish Independent March 30, 2026 15:03 UTC