Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 250: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of tax designated units which are currently on the market, being constructed and received planning permission under a tax benefit scheme but have not commenced construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31130/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The estimated level of output of residential units and commercial units under the four tax designation schemes namely the Urban Renewal Scheme, the Rural Renewal Scheme, the Town Renewal Scheme and the Living over the Shop Scheme are set out in the Review of the Area-Based Tax Incentive Schemes. This review was conducted in 2005 by Goodbody Economic Consultants. The consultants findings on the outputs of the schemes as of November 2005 are as set out below. While the consultants output findings for commercial projects for the Rural Renewal Scheme were set out on a project basis, in the case of the remaining schemes their findings on output were expressed in terms of the actual amount of additional commercial floorspace generated.

As both my Department and the Revenue Commissioners have no direct role in either the marketing of tax designated units or the planning process, it is not possible to disaggregate the information provided further.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 251: To ask the Minister for Finance the sum of tax forgone due to tax incentive schemes on property for each of the years from 2000 to date in 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31131/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that for the tax year 2003 and earlier years claims for tax incentive schemes on property were aggregated in tax returns with other claims and could not be distinguished from other reliefs claimed. Accordingly, the specific information on costs for 2003 and earlier years are not available.

Provisions were included in the Finance Act 2004 to allow this data to be obtained separately in future. As regards the tax year 2004, the latest year available, this information was included in personal income tax returns due for filing in October, 2005. Based on the information that has been received and collated to date, a total of €586 million was included in the relevant income tax returns for 2004 as claims in respect of a range of property-based incentives. This figure would correspond to a maximum Exchequer cost of the order of €246 million for these returns in terms of income tax forgone.

This information is in respect of the following incentives:-

Urban Renewal, Town Renewal, Seaside Resorts, Rural Renewal, Multi-storey Car Parks, Living over the Shop, Enterprise Areas, Park and Ride, Hotels, Holiday Cottages, Nursing Homes, Housing for the Elderly & Infirm, Convalescent homes, Qualifying Private Hospitals, Qualifying Sports Injury clinics, Buildings used for Certain Childcare purposes, and Student Accommodation.

I should point out, however, that Revenue are concerned at preliminary indications that in some instances the new, separately categorised data on exempt income and property incentives may not have been correctly entered on the 2004 Income Tax returns. Revenue is engaging with the tax practitioner bodies to draw attention to these deficiencies and to rectify them. Revenue has also increased awareness among its own staff involved in processing tax returns of the need to ensure, through closer examination of the returns, that they are correctly completed.

Data for the tax years 2005 and 2006 is not yet available as the income tax returns for those years are not due for filing until October 2006 and October 2007 respectively.

It should be noted that all but one of these schemes were reviewed by Indecon Economic Consultants and Goodbody Economic Consultants as part of the overall review of property and area based tax incentives in 2005. These reports were published on 6 February 2006 and are available on the Department of Finance's website.