Headline Exchequer surplus of €7.1bn

By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association

There was a €2 billion improvement in the Exchequer surplus at the end of 2025 when receipts from the Apple tax ruling were excluded.

A headline Exchequer surplus of €7.1 billion was recorded in 2025, which was down €5.7 billion on 2024.

However, this comparison was affected by revenues arising out of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) Apple ruling – in which Ireland was ordered to collect more than €13 billion in back taxes from the tech multinational.

When those revenues are excluded, an underlying surplus of €3.8 billion was recorded – up €2 billion on 2024.

Tax revenue in 2025 stood at €107.4 billion, which was €600 million down on the previous year. However, when the Apple proceeds are excluded, the underlying 105.7 billion in tax receipts is actually up on 2024 by €8.6 billion.

Gross revenue in 2025 stood at €133.3 billion, an increase of €4.1 billion on 2024.

Non-tax revenue and capital resources for the year were at €7.3 billion.

This was up by €4.1 billion, which the Department of Finance said was primarily driven by transfers from the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund to fund capital contributions to Uisce Éireann and ESB, as well as transfers to the Exchequer arising from the Apple ruling.

Appropriations-in-aid of €18.6 billion brought total other revenue to €25.9 billion.

Total expenditure in the year was €126.2 billion– which included gross voted expenditure stood at €109.4 billion, up 5.5 per cent on 2024.

Non-voted expenditure accounted for €16.9 billion, up by €4.1 billion on 2024 – including the transfer of €2 billion to the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund in 2025.

Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris TD said: “The Exchequer figures for 2025 are a reflection of the fundamental strength of our economy: income tax and VAT receipts, the clearest indicators of our economic performance, are continuing to perform well, while most other revenue streams are in line with expectations.

Mr Harris said that the Government is "committed to using the resources of the State to improve people’s lives in a sustainable manner".

"Last month, we published Ireland’s Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan, which represents a fundamental shift in the way we do budgetary policy in Ireland.

"The Plan fixes the level of spending without restricting us from improving public services, investing in infrastructure and protecting the public finances.”

The Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers T.D. said: “We want to ensure that every euro spent delivers real impact for our people, through tangible service delivery. This approach is about making meaningful choices with public money and through delivering on the priorities set out in Budget 2026, we are providing high-quality public services, investing in growth-enhancing infrastructure and improving living standards across our country.”