The Government is looking at the introduction of a new incentive scheme to direct some of the €170 billion held on deposit in banks and financial institutions into investment. However, Government sources said the initiative under consideration was not a special savings incentive account (SSIA) scheme similar to that put in place 25 years ago by former Fianna Fáil minister for finance Charlie McCreevy. Under that scheme, participants received a 25 per cent government top-up on their investment. Harris told RTE’s This Week programme on Sunday that he would publish a framework document for his proposed incentive scheme in the coming weeks. He said the area was complex and would have to look at tax issues and the amount that participants could put into an account, potentially tax-free.

Source: The Irish Times February 16, 2026 07:32 UTC