Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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228. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will instruct Revenue to remove interest on a repayment from a school (details supplied). [42407/24]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Revenue’s primary goal is to ensure that all taxpayers and businesses meet their tax obligations in a timely fashion and pay liabilities as they fall due. This approach ensures that the Exchequer is funded to meet the needs of citizens and a ‘level playing field’ is maintained for the majority of businesses who are timely tax compliant. I am advised that Revenue’s clear preference is always to engage with taxpayers and, where possible, to agree mutually acceptable payment arrangements in preference to deploying debt collection/enforcement sanctions.

Revenue offers taxpayers flexible Phased Payment Arrangements to pay off their debt in instalments over a reasonable period of time. I am advised that Revenue actively engaged with the taxpayer (details supplied) in an effort to agree a mutually acceptable solution. Consequently, Revenue recently agreed to a payment arrangement over an extended term of 10 years to facilitate the taxpayer in discharging the substantial tax debt. It should be noted that every payment arrangement will include interest. This is to ensure fairness and equity for those taxpayers who pay their liabilities in full and on time and also to compensate the Exchequer for late payment of taxes. Interest is a statutory charge imposed under the provisions of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 and I have no discretion to instruct Revenue to waive it.