Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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88. To ask the Minister for Finance the amount of tax debt outstanding to the Revenue Commissioners, by county; the amount of tax debt collected by revenue sheriffs by county in each month to date in 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30617/17]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I am advised that Revenue measures the tax debt for all years at 31 March each year.

At 31 March 2017 the total tax debt was €1,944m. The debt included tax that was subject to appeal before the Tax Appeals Commission (€1,105million) and tax that was subject to insolvency proceedings (€83million) and therefore not available for collection by Revenue.

Of the remaining €755million of collectible debt, €328million was subject to debt collection/enforcement action, €116million was being collected on a phased basis with the remaining €311million at various stages of the debt collection cycle, for example estimate or demand.

Table 1 contains the total debt and the debt available for collection by county at 31 March 2017.

Revenue only refers outstanding tax liabilities to its enforcement agents, including Sheriffs, as a last resort. Before any such action is taken Revenue makes every effort to engage with the taxpayer and where possible will agree a mutually acceptable payment arrangement as an alternative. Revenue’s ongoing commitment in this regard is clearly evidenced by the 10,886 phased payment arrangements that were agreed in 2016 in respect of €103m of debt.

Table 2 sets out the monthly amount of tax debt collected by the Sheriffs in 2017 to date (31May).

Table 1 - Total Debt and Debt Available for Collection by County

Table 2 - Sheriffs’ Tax Debt Collection by County January to May 2017