Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 146: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will advise the Office of the Revenue Commissioner to meet with companies or self-employed persons who claim to be in difficulty in advance of tax returns in November 2009 to discuss ability to pay. [37604/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Revenue Commissioners are charged with responsibility for the collection and recovery of a wide range of taxes and duties. They have a strong focus on making sure that everyone complies with their tax and duty responsibilities by paying the right amount within the appropriate deadlines. Revenue expects businesses to continue, notwithstanding the more difficult economic circumstances in which they are now operating, to organise their financial affairs so as to ensure that tax debts are paid as they fall due. Apart from the critical importance of timely compliance to the Exchequer, unfair competitive advantage achieved through persistent late or non-payment of tax can undermine compliant businesses. I fully support what Revenue is doing in that regard.

I know that the Revenue Commissioners are very conscious of the difficult economic and financial climate in this country and of the challenges posed for some businesses in meeting with their tax obligations within the appropriate deadlines. Revenue has responded to the changing environment by actively encouraging businesses experiencing particular tax payment difficulties to work proactively with them to find an agreed way through those difficulties and quickly restore timely compliance.

Revenue has developed an administrative framework to manage such cases and it has published material for businesses experiencing tax payment difficulties in a prominent position on the home page of its website www.revenue.ie. I am aware that the feedback from trade representatives and tax practitioner bodies to the initiative Revenue has taken in this regard has been positive and it is regarded as an effective way of supporting businesses in meeting their tax payment obligations at this time.