My father told me he does not have to pay capital gains tax since he is over 55 can anyone tell me is this true . i told him it is too good to be true..
There is no general exemption from CGT just because you are over 55.
There is a specific retirement relief available in some circumstances
"Business/Farm
If you are aged 55 or over you may be entitled to relief from Capital Gains Tax if you sell your business, farm or shares in a family company which you have owned for at least ten years. Full relief, subject to certain conditions, is available where the assets are:
Transferred or sold to a son or daughter
Sold to a niece or nephew who has worked full time on the farm or in the business for the previous five years
Sold to someone other than a son or daughter and the proceeds of the sale are less than €317,434.
This relief applies to farm property, transferred by lease as part of the EU Early Retirement Scheme, provided it first satisfies the 10 year qualifying requirement.
Marginal relief may be due where the proceeds do not greatly exceed €476,151"
There is also the general relief from CGT on your PPR (available to everyone not just over 55's)
I believe that there is something recent where the 55 age is reduced to 54 for someone who suffers from certain illnesses. Think it was mentioned in the last issue of Revenue Tax Briefing.