Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 143: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of PAYE workers and self-employed who pay benefit-in-kind on company cars in each of the past five years; and the yield to the Exchequer on this tax for each of those years. [31234/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the information requested by the Deputy in respect of benefits-in-kind arising from the provision of cars and vans in each of the four years up to 2003, the latest year for which the relevant figures are available, is set out in the following table.

With effect from 1 January 2004, employers are required to account for PAYE, PRSI and health contributions on the taxable value of certain benefits-in-kind and other non-cash benefits provided by them to their employees. Provision was made for the return of this information in the form P35 for 2004 due for filing by employers in February 2005. It is hoped that these data can be made available in the first quarter of 2006 following enhancements to the Revenue computer system to enable this data capture and reporting. The above figures include income earners whose main source of income is assessable to tax under schedule D — self-employed — but who also have income from an employment subject to PAYE in respect of which a benefit-in-kind arises.

It should be noted that as PAYE taxpayers were charged to tax on their earnings in the period 6 April to 31 December 2001 and self-employed taxpayers were assessed to tax for the short year on 74% of the profits earned in a 12-month accounting period, the yield figures will not be directly comparable with those of earlier or later years.