Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 52: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of people over the age of 65 who have registered for DIRT free accounts arising from incomes below the relevant threshold; if he has an estimate of amount of such tax outstanding due in refunds to such people; the number and the amount of DIRT refunds issued for each year from 2004 to date in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7738/08]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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In Section 34 of the Finance Act 2007, I introduced a new scheme to allow the operation of DIRT exempt savings accounts subject to two conditions — (1) the account holder must be aged 65 years or over or be permanently incapacitated and (2) their total income must not exceed €19,000 for an individual or €38,000 for a married couple.

Provisional figures show that in 2007, 47,218 such accounts were operated; the final figures will be available when the remaining financial institutions have filed their returns for 2007.

The number of people claiming refunds and the amounts for the years 2004 — 2007 is summarised in the table hereunder. This may not include some taxpayers whose DIRT refunds were processed as part of a self-assessment tax return.

Corresponding figures are not yet available for 2008.

I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the statutory return of DIRT filed by the financial institutions does not require details of the number of accounts subject to DIRT and Revenue has no solid basis on which to estimate the numbers entitled to refunds or the possible value of such refunds where tax refunds are not claimed by the account holders.