Luke and Helen:Luke is in his late 50s and lives in the Dublin suburbs. He and his brother own their own architecture business and employ five staff.
Luke is married to Helen who does not work outside the home. They have no children.
His annual salary as a company director is €€158,000 and he maximises his personal pension contributions to the 35 per cent limit on which tax relief is available.
Helen's elderly mother lives in a nursing home. Luke and Helen pay €21,000 towards the cost of this each year, of which €15,000 qualifies for tax relief. They claim the dependant relative tax credit and the qualifying medical expenses for the nursing home.
They are both relieved that they can currently claim tax relief at the top rate of tax on the nursing home costs and hope that the Minister does not reduce the tax relief they currently receive on this expense.
Luke feels strongly that, as he is paying tax through PAYE, that he should receive the employee PAYE credit. He hopes that the Minister will make the necessary changes in the Budget . Since staff costs are high, Luke is hoping for a decrease in the employer's PRSI rate of 10.75 per cent.
