Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 12 December 2017

Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Revaluation of Local Property Tax and Commercial Stamp Duty: Revenue Commissioners

4:00 pm

Mr. Keith Walsh:

With the local property tax, we were very careful to provide as much assistance to home owners as we could in advance. We provided valuation guidance and whatever assistance we could to help them file their returns. People could file returns online or on paper. We made it as easy as possible for people to pay. There were seven or eight different payment methods and there is the deferral option as well. One can pay over the course of the year through direct debits or whatever. Again, we will be trying to make it as easy as possible for people to pay. The experience from the local property tax so far suggests that even though people may not like the tax, they are willing to pay it. The compliance rates have been consistently high throughout the whole process. We have a compliance programme that we run every year that follows up on people who do not pay or who do not file their returns. We would be fairly confident that the compliance rates would be maintained.