If the only income I have is deposit interest, on which I pay DIRT, am I entitled to some refund of this DIRT for tax deductible items such as medical expenses, health insurance, etc.? Also, as I wouldn't be in the 40% tax bracket, would I be entitled to a refund?
I've never heard of anyone claiming this ... but the omens do not look good so far.
You might have to take the unpleasant step of actually phoning the Revenue for a definite answer, never a fun or fast experience.
(Let us know the answer if you do as it never occurred to me previously to do this...)
The only place I could find DIRT and tax credits noted side by side on Revenue site is here in Section 6 and specifically applies to Over 65s claiming exemption from DIRT: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/dirt/leaflets/de1.html
"If your total income is greater than the exemption limit but your tax credits etc. are such that you would be entitled to a partial or full repayment of DIRT, you can apply to Revenue for a refund of DIRT at the end of the year."
ps note that social welfare payments, including state pension, are considered as taxable income by Revenue.
Actually, some previous threads here suggest that it's not a runner I'm afraid ...
They do suggest some ways to make use of your tax credits by diverting your savings to investments.
I suggest having a read of those and posting a different thread about how to do that if you need help on it.