Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I am glad the Minister has at last opened his mouth on the issue because his silence was very telling. Only time will tell when we have had an opportunity to analyse it. According to the Revenue Commissioners' figures there were overpayments of tax by PAYE taxpayers of €306 million in 2003, €267 million in 2002 and €193 million in 2001. It is estimated that approximately €170 million is still outstanding. In terms of the billions of euro in taxpayers' money with which the Minister has become used to dealing and that must be used for repayments of charges and so on, €300 million might seem trivial, but it is important to the people who have overpaid tax. I cannot see why the Minister cannot accept the notion of accountability by the Revenue by their efforts in this area being the subject of a regular report by the Ombudsman. Since the Government closed down on freedom of information it has been difficult to get any information about what happens in this Government. That was a significant loss of function by the Ombudsman. There is, therefore, plenty of scope for the Ombudsman's office to do an important public duty regarding accountability.

The Minister is very confident that every taxpayer is completely proficient in using the various mechanisms of the Revenue's public information system and that every taxpayer is fully on top of the process of claiming his or her due entitlements. As the Minister has such long experience as a Deputy, it surprises me that that should be his experience. Anybody who has had the honour of serving as a Deputy knows only too well how confused people are and how afraid they are, oftenunnecessarily. If they had another office, such as a taxpayers' advocate, that they could use to assert their rights, there would be an improvement in accountability and, in particular, a better deal for taxpayers who are currently overpaying tax to the tune of €300 million or more every year.

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