Section 244 of the Principal Act is amended -

(a) in subsection (1)(a) by substituting the following for the definition of "qualifying interest":

"‘qualifying interest’, in relation to an individual and a year of assessment, means -

(i) as respects a year of assessment before 2018, the amount of interest paid by the individual in respect of a qualifying loan,

(ii) as respects the year of assessment 2018, 75 per cent of the amount of interest paid by the individual in respect of a qualifying loan,

(iii) as respects the year of assessment 2019, 50 per cent of the amount of interest paid by the individual in respect of a qualifying loan, and

(iv) as respects the year of assessment 2020, 25 per cent of the amount of interest paid by the individual in respect of a qualifying loan;",

(b) in subsection (1A)(b) by substituting "2020" for "2017",

(c) in subsection (2)(a)(ii) by substituting "2020" for "2017", and

(d) by inserting the following after subsection (10):

"(11) For the purposes of the application of this section, the definition of ‘relievable interest’ in subsection (1)(a) has effect as if -

(a) in subparagraph (i) of that definition -

(i) as respects the year of assessment 2018, ‘€4,500’,