Written answers

Tuesday, 4 December 2007

9:00 pm

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 203: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if the Revenue Commissioners are developing plans to require all taxpayers to file returns on-line; his views on whether it is reasonable to require elderly people to make on-line returns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32565/07]

Photo of Brian CowenBrian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners, that while they are engaged in a wide ranging consultation process with stakeholders, with the objective of expanding use of the Revenue On-line service for the filing of Tax Returns and payments, they have no plans to make this compulsory for all taxpayers. Last September the Revenue Commissioners announced they were beginning a detailed and wide-ranging consultation process with tax practitioners, industry representative bodies, software providers and customers with a view to introducing a requirement that tax returns and payments for specific categories of taxpayers would be made electronically through the on-line service. In its press release the Revenue Commissioners explicitly stated that they accept that mandatory electronic filing and payment would be inappropriate for the smallest businesses. At the outset the Revenue Commissioners stated that, although the service has achieved significant return filing and payment rates, a considerable number of fully computerised businesses remain outside it. The current consultations are focused on businesses which have the capacity to carry out their interactions with the Revenue Commissioners electronically, but do not do so. The Revenue Commissioners also stated in their press release that they accept that the smallest businesses will not be required to use electronic filing and payment. Indeed, one of the benefits of moving the larger firms to mandatory electronic filing and payment was that it allows Revenue to devise a simplified paper return for such small businesses to make their tax compliance easier. The consultation process around mandatory filing is not about the age of the businessperson but about the economic size and complexity of the business and its capacity to submit returns and payments to Revenue electronically. The vast majority of larger businesses use professional tax agents who have access to the on-line system to file their tax returns.

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