Ireland’s tax authority collected more than €3.3 million in unpaid taxes from social media influencers during 2025, according to the latest annual report published by Revenue Commissioners on Thursday. The figure includes almost €1 million in interest charges and penalties arising from audits and compliance checks carried out throughout the year.
The report revealed that Revenue initiated 145 Level 2 interventions, including audits and risk reviews, targeting individuals earning income through online content creation and digital platforms. These investigations covered all forms of influencer earnings, including direct payments from platforms, sponsorship deals, brand partnerships, advertising income, gifts, and other non-cash benefits received in exchange for promotional activity.
Revenue said the investigations focused on ensuring influencers and digital creators were meeting their tax obligations across every source of income. Earlier in March 2025, the tax authority confirmed it had issued more than 450 reminder letters to social media influencers over the previous two years outlining their legal responsibilities regarding tax compliance.
The annual report also highlighted the scale of Revenue’s overall collections during 2025. Gross receipts reached €157 billion, including €34.9 billion gathered on behalf of Government departments, agencies and other EU member states. Net tax receipts for the year totalled €106.5 billion.
Drug interdiction continued to be another major priority for Revenue officers throughout the year. Teams were involved in 18,601 separate drug seizures, resulting in the confiscation of more than 39,000 kilograms of illegal drugs with an estimated street value of €191.1 million.
Revenue also said it continued to target the illegal importation of nitrous oxide products where there were reasonable grounds to suspect they were not intended for legitimate commercial use. During 2025, officers seized almost 34,900 kilograms of nitrous oxide canisters valued at approximately €1.3 million.
The report also confirmed that removing the MV Matthew from Cork Harbour remains a key priority for Revenue during 2026. The vessel was dramatically seized off the Cork coast in September 2023 after authorities discovered €157 million worth of cocaine on board. Since then, the ship has cost the State more than €13.6 million, including expenses linked to berthing, maintenance and crewing.
Revenue said all title registration requirements with Panamanian authorities have now been completed. Surveys and certification work are also being arranged to allow the vessel to leave Cork Harbour safely before it is eventually transferred to a recycling facility.
Elsewhere in the report, Revenue said its teams carried out more than 237,000 audit and compliance interventions during 2025, generating €734 million, while tax avoidance cases yielded an additional €41.7 million.
Revenue Chair Niall Cody said compliance levels remained strong throughout the year. He noted that timely compliance rates stood at 99% for large and medium businesses and 93% for other cases, marking the second consecutive annual increase.
Outstanding debt also fell significantly during 2025, dropping from €3.1 billion to €2.3 billion. At the end of December, there were 18,653 phased payment arrangements in place worth a combined €1 billion, including €708 million under the Debt Warehouse Scheme, which supports businesses experiencing temporary financial difficulties.
