Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Many people around the country hope the Taoiseach is right, that Revenue's computer system is the best and most advanced. My perception of the efficacy of the Revenue Commissioners is that they have improved greatly in recent times but when one looks at this kind of statement from our own employer and the fact that 20% of the workforce have not received their tax certificates, one wonders what is giving rise to these problems.

If one looks at any of the reliefs to which Deputy Kenny referred, for example, the relief on trade union subscriptions, the last figures available date to 2002 when it was indicated that 229,000 claims were made. There are somewhere between 650,000 and 700,000 trade unionists in the country. Medical expenses are similarly under-claimed. As head of Government, is there not a case for the Taoiseach committing to some kind of public information campaign that would advise people of their rights and entitlements? We can wake up to public service broadcasts telling us we must get our tax returns in by Friday. Why can similar broadcasts and public information campaigns not be produced which would advise people about their entitlements and what they can claim? It is clear that there is no such public service information when it comes to tax reliefs in minor areas for those on lower incomes — people in the PAYE net — unlike the kind of property tax-based incentives we spoke about last week. We cannot just brush aside the fact that tax certificates have not been issued two and a half months after the budget and the question mark over their accuracy, particularly in the case to which I referred.

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