DUBLIN: Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has announced that tax incentives will be provided in the next budget as part of encouraging work from home.
The work-from-home system was launched across the country to reduce public contact in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Tánaiste said that if possible, people should continue with this system and ask employers to continue work from home.
Currently, employers can pay an allowance of €3.20 per day for those who work from home. However, this is impossible to implement widely. It is in this context that Varadkar’s announcement that benefits will be provided to promote work from home in the coming budget.
“It’s intended that, as part of the budget package in October, there’ll be a new package of tax incentives and expenses to encourage people to work from home,” Mr. Varadkar said. He added that this would lead to major changes in the current tax system.
At the same time, Varadkar clarified that an employee would be given the legal right to request work from home and that the employer would have to give a rational reply if the demand was rejected.