Tipperary councillors renew push to end USC as cost of living pressures persist
A group of Tipperary councillors are set to bring forward a motion calling on the Government to abolish the Universal Social Charge (USC).
Independent councillor Liam Browne, supported by a number of his council colleagues, is due to table a motion at the May meeting of Tipperary County Council asking the Government to scrap the tax to ease pressure on workers.
The USC was introduced as a temporary measure in 2011, but 15 years later, it remains part of people’s paycheques.
Cllr Browne says that if the tax was scrapped from 2027 on, it would ease the pressure on struggling workers.
"At a time when the cost of living continues to put pressure on households, this additional tax on income no longer makes sense," Cllr Browne said.
"This motion proposes a clear, practical pathway to abolishing the USC while protecting vital public services. It is based on sensible measures such as improving efficiency in public spending, reforming procurement, increasing transparency around grants, and responsibly using additional corporation tax receipts arising from international tax reform,” he added.
The independent councillor says that the benefits would be clear for workers, with higher take-home pay, a simpler tax system and stronger incentives to work and progress in a career.
"Crucially, this approach recognises that fairness for workers must go hand‑in‑hand with protecting frontline services such as health, education, housing and local government supports,” Cllr Browne said.
"Abolishing the USC is about moving beyond crisis-era taxation and building a system that rewards work, supports families, and plans responsibly for the future,” he added.
The motion is the second of its kind to come before the council in recent years, with Clonmel-based councillor Pat English tabling a similar motion in 2024. Following this call, a letter was sent from the council to the Finance Minister asking for the tax to be abolished.
Previous Governments have given their commitment to scrap the USC, but so far, no timeline for the abolition of the tax has been given.
The motion is due to be debated at the May meeting of Tipperary County Council next week.