• Cuts to USC rates. Income of €13,000 or less exempt from USC
• Income tax rates remain the same
• No changes to the income tax standard rate band
• Earned Income Credit of €550 for self-employed individuals
• Increase in Home Carer Tax Credit
• Home Renovation Incentive extended to 31 December 2016

• Extension of three-year exemption from corporation tax for start-ups
• Improvements to the Employment and Investment Incentive Scheme
• Knowledge Development Box tax rate of 6.25%
• A new farm succession transfer model will be introduced
• The cap on Section 481 film eligible expenditure increased to €70m

• Child benefit is to increase by €5 per week.
• Paternity leave of two weeks is to be introduced from September 2016.
• A second year of free pre-school education is to be introduced - it will now cover from age 3 until the child starts primary school.
• Free GP care is to be extended to the under-12s.
• The Community Childcare Subvention Scheme is to be extended by up to 8,000 places.

• The reduced VAT rate of 9% for goods and services mainly related to the tourism and hospitality industry will remain for 2016.

• The pension fund levy of 0.15% introduced for 2014 and 2015 will end this year and not apply in 2016.

In order to support and incentivise successful entrepreneurs, a reduced capital gains tax rate of 20% will apply to individuals who sell all or part of their business up to a lifetime limit of €1 million in chargeable gains. This measure mirrors a similar relief introduced in UK called entrepreneurs' relief, which offers a tax rate of 10% on the sale of a business.

The CAT thresholds were reduced in previous years due to falling asset prices. However, to take account of increasing property prices the tax-free threshold for gifts and inheritances from parents to children has been increased from €225,000 to €280,000 with effect from 14 October 2015.

By reducing the cost of using debit cards and raising the transaction limit on contactless payment cards from €15 to €30, the Government are seeking to encourage both consumers and retailers to increase the use of debit cards and reduce the use of cash, which in turn should curtail the shadow economy.

• Extension of existing reliefs
• Farm Transfer Partnerships
• Excise Duty on Micro-Breweries

The Budget contains a number of other measures in the areas of housing, LPT, Social Protection and the minimum wage together with a simplification to the motor tax regime on commercial vehicles.