Revenue response to Finance Committee report
The Revenue Commissioners note the report of the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service, which was published today (11/04/07).
Nobody should doubt Revenue's commitment to doing as much as possible to assist and encourage the public to claim all of the tax credits and reliefs that are due to them. We are fully committed to playing our part in this continuing effort, including implementation of the series of "Helping Taxpayers Claim" measures announced by the Minister for Finance in his Budget speech last December.
The Committee Report in fact acknowledges that Revenue has already made very significant efforts in recent years to make what is a complex tax system more understandable and more accessible, particularly to PAYE taxpayers.
The commitment of Revenue to the service dimension of our business (which includes giving reliefs and entitlements to all taxpayers) is just as strong and just as well resourced as the enforcement dimension of our business. This balanced approach is a fundamental element of our ethos.
[Ends 11/04/07]
Note for Editors:
(1) Indication of the scale of Revenue contacts with the public
In 2006 Revenue handled:
- Over six million phonecalls from taxpayers;
- Over three million items of correspondence;
- Over 900,000 personal callers;
- Over one million PAYE employee reviews (an increase of over 80% from the previous year), and,
- Over 11 million visits to our website
(2) Enhanced Services/Contact Channels for PAYE Taxpayers
In 2006, Revenue launched an enhanced range of self-service facilities and contact channels, allowing PAYE taxpayers to claim tax credits, refunds and to otherwise &self-manage" their PAYE affairs using the internet, mobile texting and voice-recognition telephony.
Every PAYE taxpayer was written to directly by the Revenue Chairman, advising them of these new services and encouraging take-up. These self-service facilities have also been advertised in the media and are strongly promoted on Revenue’s website.
(3) Information Campaign August/September 2006: Indicators of success
Annual Reviews
In the three months September to November in 2005 we dealt with approximately 90,000 annual reviews (P21 balancing statements).
In the same months in 2006 we issued almost 350,000 balancing statements (an increase of over 280%).
Claims for Reliefs
Additional claimants 2006 compared with 2005:
Trade union subscriptions: 290,000 claimants in 2005
Trade union subscriptions: 320,000 claimants in 2006 (10% increase)
Bin Charges: 150,000 claimants in 2005
Bin Charges: 200,000 claimants in 2006 (33% increase)
External Analysis of Media Campaign
External consultants who examined Revenue’s media campaign proclaimed it an "outstanding success". They pointed to the fact that over ninety percent of the publicity was positive and commented that it represented "…a very strong return on investment". According to their analysis the campaign reached 73% of all Irish adults or 1.2 million people on average 5.04 times.
(4) DIRT Free Interest for over 65’s
Revenue has, this week (10/04/07), launched a scheme which will allow people aged over 65 to operate their savings accounts free of DIRT (Deposit Interest Retention Tax). Up to this point, a person who qualified for a refund of DIRT had to submit an application form to Revenue at the end of the year, along with a certificate of interest. Now, all they have to do is complete a simple application form and give it to their Financial Institution. Any interest they earn from then on will be free of DIRT.
(5) Point to note:
Any adjustment to the '4 Year Rule' would require a change of legislation.