Revenue encourages early engagement for businesses in debt in 2025 Annual Report
Revenue has encouraged businesses experiencing cash-flow pressures to engage early with the tax authority, warning that enforcement action will be taken where debts remain unpaid and there is “no meaningful engagement”.
The message was delivered as Revenue published its 2025 Annual Report today, which showed total gross receipts of €157 billion for the year, including €34.9 billion collected on behalf of Government Departments, agencies and other EU Member States. Net tax receipts reached €106.5 billion.
Revenue chairman Niall Cody said timely compliance levels remained high throughout 2025, with compliance rates of 99% among large and medium cases and 93% across other cases.
He said the figures reflected Ireland’s “strong voluntary compliance culture” and thanked taxpayers, businesses, traders and tax agents for their continued cooperation.
Financial challenges
Revenue acknowledged that rising operating costs and broader economic pressures have created financial challenges for many businesses, including operators across the hospitality and drinks sectors.
Revenue Commissioner Maura Kiely said the organisation continues to offer flexible payment arrangements tailored to businesses’ financial circumstances and ability to pay.
She highlighted the availability of Revenue’s online phased payment arrangement (PPA) system, which allows taxpayers to apply for or amend payment plans as required.
However, Kiely warned that Revenue would continue to pursue businesses that fail to engage.
“Where debt is not paid and where there is no meaningful engagement, we take appropriate enforcement action,” she said.
Revenue said total outstanding debt fell from €3.1 billion at the end of 2024 to €2.3 billion by the close of 2025.
The report also outlined Revenue’s continued focus on voluntary compliance through its Compliance Intervention Framework (CIF), which allows taxpayers to self-correct errors and typically benefit from lower penalties where issues are disclosed voluntarily.
During 2025, Revenue carried out more than 237,000 audit and compliance interventions, yielding €734 million, while tax avoidance cases generated an additional €41.7 million.
Targeting organised crime
The Annual Report also detailed Revenue’s enforcement activities targeting organised crime, illicit trade and smuggling.
In 2025, Revenue seized almost 40,000kg of drugs with an estimated value of €191.1 million.
The agency also strengthened its customs and frontier capabilities with the launch of the Customs Cutter R.C.C. ‘Cosaint’ and the opening of a new State facility at Rosslare Europort featuring a high-energy gantry X-ray scanner for vehicle inspections.
Revenue said enforcement teams also intensified action against the illicit tobacco trade during the year, including dismantling an illegal cigarette factory and seizing tobacco products valued at more than €63.5 million.
Additional controls on the movement of duty-paid tobacco products into Ireland from other EU Member States were introduced in December 2025.
