661. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance his plans for changes to exchange traded funds; if he plans to abolish the eight-year deemed disposal regime, align the tax rate more closely with capital gains tax, allow normal loss relief and simplify the reporting and administrative requirements [60406/26]

The Roadmap for the taxation of retail investment, published in August 2026, addresses the aspects of the existing regime raised by the Deputy.

The Roadmap sets out three policy levers that will be examined as part of work to consider how the challenges with the current taxation regimes for investment funds and life assurance investment products may be addressed in future budgets – the rate of taxation, the application of the deemed disposal rule and administrative simplification.

As outlined in the Roadmap, measures of this nature are considered as part of the annual budgetary process and, in line with usual Budget process, there be will no commentary on individual Budget decisions or prejudging of future decisions ahead of October. Any decision has to consider the Budget ceilings agreed by Government, and the range of options across the entire tax system.

The roadmap also included key parameters of the proposed new investment account, acknowledging the need for industry to understand how the account is intended to operate. This information is to facilitate the design and introduction of the necessary operational systems by providers, to allow accounts to be available from 2027, with the specific details of the investment account forming part of the normal budgetary process, in October 2026. The intention is to legislate for the account in 2026 and to allow accounts to be offered in 2027.