Ireland is fourth in the European league of disposable incomes for senior managers, according to a survey published today.
The figures are based on a survey of senior managers in 24 European countries, calculating salaries less the cost of living, tax and social security payments.
The survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting found Switzerland topped the league with Germany second and Austria third.
Latvia was last with the figures revealing a Swiss manager having three times more buying power than those in the lowest ranking countries such as Hungary and Estonia.
Other top-scoring countries include Spain, France, the Netherlands and the UK.
"While senior managers in some European countries earn large salaries, their purchasing power can be significantly reduced by high tax and living costs," said Lorna Byrne, senior consultant at Mercer Human Resource Consulting.
On average, senior managers in Switzerland and Germany earn €133,000 and €108,000 respectively and have the highest purchasing power.
The figures feed into the debate about the amount the Irish pay tax and charges. While managers in Ireland earn around €5,000 less per annum than their counterparts in Holland and Belgium, their €86,000 buys more.
"Within the single European market we continue to see significant differences in pay, tax and social security levels," said Ms Byrne.
The survey also revealed that purchasing power for senior managers in Hong Kong, Australia, Japan and the USA is higher than the Euroopean average.