Irish workers pay least tax as portion of salary

Irish workers pay 6.34% of their income in tax and social insurance costs, according to a survey of 24 of the 25 EU countries carried out by Deloitte's Irish unit in Dublin. Cyprus was second-lowest at 8.77%, while Portuguese workers pay the highest proportion, at almost 50%. In the UK, workers pay around 23% of their income in tax and insurance costs, according to Deloitte. Lithuania, one the 10 countries that joined the EU in 2004, has the lowest average total employment costs for companies, according to the survey. Including employer contributions to social insurance, total remuneration costs are €5,124 ($6,697) a year. Slovakia, Estonia and Hungary were the only other countries where total employer costs were less than €10,000. The highest employment costs are in Germany, at €50,417. The survey was conducted among companies with 10 or more employees. Employee tax is based on a married couple with two children and where there is one earner. (Bloomberg)