The number of families positioned in the highest IRS bracket increased significantly between 2023 and 2024, reinforcing the weight of higher incomes in the Portuguese tax structure. In question are taxpayers with an annual income equal to or greater than 250 thousand euros, a universe that grew by more than 25% in a single year, reaching a total of 12,502 families.
According to , the data is contained in IRS statistics released by the Tax and Customs Authority and reveals the largest percentage increase in this bracket since 2007. In absolute terms, this represents an additional 2,511 households in a single year, a significantly higher increase than that recorded in recent periods.
Growth accelerates at the top of the table
The evolution now observed contrasts with the variation recorded in the previous year. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of taxpayers in the highest bracket had increased from 8,937 to 9,991, which corresponded to a growth of 11.79%, just over a thousand new families. A year later, the pace more than doubled.
This movement was not confined to the maximum tax level. The second highest level of the IRS, which covers annual income from 100 thousand euros, also registered a sharp increase. In 2024, 114,402 households were in this range, compared to 92,259 in the previous year. The difference translates into 22,143 more taxpayers and a growth of around 24%.
In the previous year, the trend was already upward, although less intense. Between 2022 and 2023, this group had increased by 14.21%, going from 80,778 to 92,259 households. The jump now seen reinforces the concentration of growth at the highest income levels.
Middle class grows less, lower levels retreat
At other IRPF levels, developments were more moderate. Among taxpayers with annual income between R$27,000 and R$100,000, which includes a significant part of the middle class, growth rates were between 2.85% and 16.79%. Despite involving a much larger number of families, these intervals did not keep up with the pace observed at the top levels.
Tax statistics also indicate falls at the lowest income levels, namely up to 13,500 euros per year. This negative variation may reflect the transition of some households to higher levels, as a result of higher income declared in the last year.
The impact of growth at the top level was also felt on tax revenue. In 2024, the IRS paid to taxpayers with income equal to or greater than 250 thousand euros slightly exceeded two billion euros. In the previous year, this value had been R$1.69 billion, which represents an increase of 18.4%.
Even so, the effective tax rate applied to this range fell. In 2024, it was 31.89%, 1.46 percentage points less than in 2023, despite the increase in the number of taxpayers and the overall amount collected.
According to the same source, the data thus shows a double movement in the tax system: more families became part of the upper tiers of the IRS and the State collected more revenue from these taxpayers, but the effective tax burden borne by the top of the table decreased compared to the previous year.
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