Single Worker

Laura is in her late 30s, single and living in Mullingar for the past eight years. She works in the financial services sector and earns an annual salary of €80,000. She commutes to work in Dublin every day.

Laura owns a three-bedroom house in Mullingar. She lets two of the rooms in the rent-a-room relief and therefore does not have to pay income tax on the rental income. Laura is tired of the commute and wants to buy a second-hand house with a garden in Dublin. While she feels that she could afford such a house, the existing stamp duty costs put the move back to Dublin beyond her reach. She was disappointed, therefore, that the Minister didn’t reduce the stamp duty burden in the Budget, which meant that Laura’s dream of moving closer to her family in Dublin is still out of reach.

She understands that the Minister had tried to give some additional mortgage interest relief to first-time buyers, but as she bought her house more than seven years ago, the new first-time buyers, the increase in the mortgage interest ceiling will only benefit her by €92 per annum. Excluding the additional mortgage interest relief, Laura is better of by €102 per month.