News & Events Winners at the Irish Tax Institute's Fantasy Budget competition 2024

Congratulations to the School of Law's Adam Carton, Courtney Heal-Powell, and Tommy Earls, who secured third place in the Irish Tax Institute's Fantasy Budget competition 2024.  This competition challenges University students to put themselves in the shoes of a Minister for Finance, critically assessing key measures from the Budget and proposing their own budgetary measures.  The students received their awards from the Institute's President, Tom Reynolds, during a ceremony held last Wednesday in Dublin.  Adam, Courtney, and Tommy, accompanied by their lecturer Dr Charles O'Mahony, met the competition judges at the Institute's offices at Grand Canal Dock. This lunchtime event celebrated the winning teams' achievements and presented them with their well-deserved prizes. The students received additional support from Professor Emer Mulligan and Mary Cosgrove, from the School of Business and Economics at the University of Galway.

The judges were impressed with Adam, Courtney, and Tommy’s submission which considered the new Mortgage Interest Tax Credit, they analysed the effectiveness of changes to the Employment Investment Incentive Scheme, and looked at the R&D tax credit changes in relation to attracting foreign direct investment.  In their role as the Minister of Finance, the team address the housing crisis with a grant for private builders or persons commencing construction on their principal private residence. Their hope is that it will offer first-time buyers another option and have a knock-on effect on rent levels.  Congratulations also to the other winning teams from Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University.