Irish General Election 2024: Taking A Bite Out of the Apple Tax Case Proceeds
The next Irish government is facing an unusual challenge for a new administration: what to do with the €13 billion plus interest it is set to receive from Apple. The windfall has found its way into Ireland’s coffers following a judgment earlier this year by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which upheld the European Commission’s 2016 decision that Apple underpaid tax in Ireland.
The ‘Apple money’, as it’s been dubbed, is now an election issue in Ireland, with parties using their manifestos to outline their proposals in varying degrees of detail. Below, we outline these proposals, which primarily focus on addressing Ireland’s infrastructure challenges.
Fine Gael
- Half of proceeds on housing and the Land Development Agency to accelerate housing delivery.
- Water and sanitation: Ensuring access to clean water and effective sanitation systems.
- Energy grid improvements: Focusing on transmission and renewable energy integration.
- Transport and road infrastructure: Through Transport Infrastructure Ireland to enhance connectivity.
Fianna Fáil
- €4 billion for social, affordable homes via the Land Development Agency.
- €2 billion for a new Towns Investment Fund.
- €2.5 billion to develop both onshore and offshore grid infrastructure.
- €3 billion to Irish Water for water infrastructure, including connections for urban wastewater projects and new housing.
- €3.6 billion to improve transport networks.
- €2 billion on health digitalisation, to apply digital technology for better efficiency and safety in healthcare services.
Sinn Féin
- €7.6 billion towards a public housing programme.
- €2 billion to fund 5,000 acute hospital beds.
- €2.5 billion on a new Renewable Energy Fund.
- €1 billion towards a redress scheme for owners of homes with defect issues, including defective blocks, fire and other safety defects.
- €1 billion for a new Community Investment Fund for working class communities.
Green Party
- €7 billion in public transport projects in Dublin, Buildings Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford
- A new public transport climate ticket.
- Supports for EVs.
- Investment in cycling and walking infrastructure.
Labour
- €6 billion to seed a State Construction Company developed through the Land Development Agency.
- €1 billion for water infrastructure and land servicing.
- €2.5 billion for a National Retrofitting Fund over five years.
- €2.5 billion for public transport and regional development.
- €1 billion for state equity stakes in offshore wind projects.
- €1 billion to create a Sáintecare (Ireland’s national healthcare reform programme) Transition Fund, with €500 million to rollout digital health records.
People Before Profit – Solidarity
Create a State Construction Company focused on –
- Building social and affordable housing.
- Renovating vacant homes.
- Retrofitting energy-inefficient households with low BER ratings.
- Housing in the Gaeltacht (Irish speaking areas).
For more information, please reach out to the FTI Consulting Dublin team.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and not necessarily the views of FTI Consulting, its management, its subsidiaries, its affiliates, or its other professionals.
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