Fantasy Budget Competition

More than just a competition

The Irish Tax Institute runs annually its high-profile Fantasy Budget competition for undergraduate students throughout Ireland.

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Student Group Project

It asks to students in groups of 3 to 4 to analyse the Budget under three headings:

  • One key measure that impacted the individual/family;
  • One key measure that impacted indigenous Irish business;
  • and One key measure that impacted foreign investment into Ireland

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Fun & Exciting

In addition to this, each team is asked to step into the shoes of the Minister for Finance and put forward one measure that they feel the Minister should have introduced.

Fantasy Budget competition

Our Fantasy Budget 2027 competition will launch in September 2026.

Find Out More

Fantasy Budget 2026 Winners

We had a lot of really great submissions for our 2026 competition, but the final three winners were UCC, DCU and University of Galway. Find out more about the winning submissions here.

First Place, University College Cork - under the guidance of their lecturer Mr. Mark Barrow
First Place, University College Cork - under the guidance of their lecturer Mr. Mark Barrow

L–R: Shane Wallace, Institute President, Jane Brereton, Catherine Cooney, Eimear McGee, Jessica Doody and Mark Barrow, UCC lecturer

Second Place, DCU - under the guidance of their lecturer, Dr.Patrick Mulcahy
Second Place, DCU - under the guidance of their lecturer, Dr.Patrick Mulcahy

L–R: Shane Wallace, Institute President, Liam Naughton, Daniel Bernotas, Matthew Flood, Andrew Goulding and Dr. Patrick Mulcahy, DCU lecturer

Third Place, University of Galway - under the guidance of their lecturer, Mary Cosgrove
Third Place, University of Galway - under the guidance of their lecturer, Mary Cosgrove

L–R: Shane Wallace, Institute President, Ainla McSharry, Amy Kavanagh, Aoife Devereux, Niamh Loughran and Mary Cosgrove, University of Galway lecturer.

If you enjoyed taking part, then maybe you have a future as a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA)!

Richie O'Carroll, KPMG

“The Fantasy Budget Competition was a great way for me to really understand the practical effects of the measures the Budget brings in and the changes in taxation policy that come with it. The research you do really stands to you and helps when starting a new career in a tax department – I would definitely recommend the competition to every student studying tax, there are excellent prizes and it all helps for your exams”

Niall Hanton, Grant Thornton

“The Fantasy Budget competition is a great way to get students thinking about tax on real life practical level and away from a purely exam focused mind-set. The competition sparked an interest to begin my career in tax as it brought to my attention the important role tax plays in Ireland’s economy. Tax issues are at the heart of all commercial activities and working in tax will provide me with a diverse set of skills & experience”

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