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The claim, which was shared in a recruitment video for an anti-immigration group, appears to be a misunderstanding of a plan to charge working asylum seekers that are in accommodation provided through the International Protection Accommodation Scheme (IPAS). The claim was shared in a video featuring a man wearing a “MÉGA”cap, which stands for Make Éire Great Again — a slogan used by some Irish fans of Donald Trump. Shouting at a crowd, he talks about migrants who want to “impose their sharia law” and says Irish people now slaves. “Jim O’Callaghan, not three months ago, came out on RTÉ — I only watch it to see what I’m catching him out on — but he came out and said some IPAS residents are currently employed. They may be asked to contribute to society in a year’s time. Where’s my tax-free year? I have to pay through the nose for everything.” The post containing the speech is a recruitment video for anti-immigration group Síol na hÉireann. It is unclear if the man in the video has a connection with Síol na hÉireann, which has previously been investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority for using footage of assaults in its recruitment material. The Journal has previously debunked posts by this group, including multiple false claims about black people attacking white people in Ireland. As of writing, one version of the video have been viewed more than 232,300 times on Facebook, and more than 22,000 times on X. Both were posted on 10 August. The claim made in the video is said to stem from an appearance by Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan on RTÉ. The Journal was unable to find an appearance matching the description, and a spokesperson from O’Callaghan’s office said that they were unfamiliar with what the man in the video was speaking about. It seems likely that the video confuses O’Callaghan with Colm Brophy, who is a Minister of State at the Department of Justice. Advertisement Brophy has spoken publicly about plans to charge working asylum seekers for their accommodation. (O’Callaghan’s office confirmed he supports the plan). However, these plans have little resemblance to what was being talked about in the video other than some shared terminology, such as uses of the term “contribution”. The government’s plans are not about changing how IPAS applicants are taxed. Rather, these plans involve charging asylum seekers who are entitled to work for accommodation in IPAS centres as a way to reduce the cost of the international protection system to the government. Currently, asylum seekers in Ireland can be granted permission to work if they have been waiting more than 6 months for the first decision on their application. The Sunday Independent reported that one proposal says that 11,400 people in IPAS centres are estimated to have an income and would be eligible to pay the fee. So, what has this got to do with a “tax-free year”? Not much, it appears. “Applicants for international protection are subject to the same system of taxation as all other people resident in Ireland,” a spokesperson for the Department of Justice told The Journal. “There is no exemption from income tax for applicants under the International Protection Accommodation Scheme who have an entitlement to work in Ireland,” Revenue said in response to the online claims. Claims that asylum seekers or other foreign nationals have preferential treatment in Ireland are commonly spread by anti-immigration groups. Thai year, The Journal has previously debunked claims that immigrants get shorter prison sentences than Irish citizens; that traffic rules do not apply to non-Irish people; that the Irish government pays Ukrainians to repair their cars or has spent €200,000 per car to help isolated Ukrainians; and that taxes go toward subsidising foreign-owned businesses. Want to be your own fact-checker? 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Support The Journal The Journal's monthly FactCheck newsletter keeps you in the loop about what misinformation trends Ireland is experiencing - and how we're fighting back. Sign up here You are now signed up Shane Raymond Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Debunked: Asylum seekers are not exempt from income tax for a year after they are allowed to work”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Debunked: Asylum seekers are not exempt from income tax for a year after they are allowed to work”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... 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