asked the Minister for Finance if it is a fact that, in order to facilitate the collection of the new proposed turnover tax, officials from his Department have approached manufacturers and suggested (a) that they should increase the retail selling price of the goods they manufacture, or (b) as an alternative, reduce the weight or size of their manufactured products.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Turnover Tax.
18.
As stated in the booklet outlining the proposals for the turnover tax, there may be special problems for retailers in passing on the tax on prepackaged goods and on commodities sold in small quantities at standard prices. The Revenue Commissioners are having discussions with manufacturers and wholesalers in order to obtain their co-operation in ensuring that the tax operates smoothly. They have suggested—and it is a suggestion with which I fully agree—that in very many cases the retailers' difficulties would be met by adjustments in the weight or size of the manufactured product or by an appropriate alteration in the price recommended by the manufacturer for the retail sale of his product.
19.
asked the Minister for Finance in what manner it is proposed to collect the new proposed turnover tax on the sale of newspapers.
Turnover tax will be charged on the total receipts form taxable activities, and not on the sale of individual items. Where the retailer of newspapers is registered, he will be charged on the receipts from the sale of newspapers, along with the receipts from the sale of other goods. If the newspaper seller is not registered, the supplier will be liable to tax on his receipts. Persons whose receipts from the sale of goods do not exceed £500 per month may elect not to register.
The Revenue Commissioners have had discussions with representatives of the main newspaper publishers in this country and with the distributors of imported newspapers with the object of establishing procedures for enabling retailers and others concerned to provide for the tax. These discussions are continuing.
20.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state (a) the total number of officials who will be engaged in the enforcement of the proposed new turnover tax, and (b) the total estimated cost of collecting the proposed new tax.
It is estimated that when the tax is fully in operation the total number of officials employed on it should not greatly exceed 100. As stated in the Budget speech, the cost of collection is expected not to exceed £100,000 a year.