Details have been published by the Revenue Commissioners to ease concerns that Ireland's corporate tax take is dependent on a small group of giant multinational firms.

Corporation taxes surged by close to 50% last year to a record €6.9bn and of that total just over 40% came from ten large multinationals.

Revenue points out that this contribution remained relatively stable, and that the same 80/20 ratio of tax receipts from multinationals versus indigenous Irish firms remained constant despite the huge overall increase in the overall tax take.

They also highlighted a number of reasons why corporation taxes have risen recently, the principal being the improved economy.

16,000 firms who paid no corporation tax prior to 2014, made contributions totalling €500m last year and more than €200m was paid by companies that had been loss-making prior to last year.

The Revenue Commissioners collected €45.79bn from Irish taxpayers in 2015 - this represented a 10.6% increase on 2014 and the fifth successive annual increase in returns to the Exchequer.

Niall Cody, Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners, noted: "In 2015, our staff conducted over 460,000 compliance interventions which yielded over €640 million in tax, interest and penalties – an increase of more than 5% on 2014."