A new scheme to help households get a better return on their savings is on the cards, according to Minister for Finance Simon Harris. In the UK, the individual savings accounts (ISA) has an annual investment limit of £20,000 (€22,900). However, the UK cash ISA, while protecting people from tax on deposit income, has unsurprisingly not delivered a particularly large return as, like here, bank deposit interest rates are low. In Sweden, however, the scheme is designed to give tax relief on listed investments, mainly in shares, bonds and funds. There was talk of a British Isa restricted to UK shares but it never emerged.

Source: The Irish Times February 19, 2026 17:03 UTC