asked the Minister for Finance why the Revenue Commissioners, with reference to a letter received by them enclosing a tax reserve certificate and a cheque in payment of income tax, acknowledged in writing receipt of the cheque but not the certificate; why the Revenue Commissioners say that it takes up to a month to acknowledge payments by way of tax reserve certificates; and when the Revenue Commissioners will reform their methods of receipting all payments.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Tax Reserve Certificates.
21.
Minister for Finance (Mr. Haughey)
Where a cheque and a tax reserve certificate are received in payment of income tax, the cheque is dealt with in the cash office and normally a formal receipt for the amount of the cheque is issued within a day. The tax reserve certificate has necessarily to be processed in a separate clerical section and an acknowledgment of its receipt is issued within a further day. A formal receipt for the amount of the tax being paid by tax reserve certificate is issued at a later stage.
Tax reserve certificates have to be forwarded to the Central Bank for encashment and calculation of interest; and the amount has to be remitted to the Revenue Commissioners for preparation and issue of formal receipts for the actual payments. This procedure takes on the average about 14 days to complete. In the circumstances, and in view of the fact that an acknowledgment of the receipt of the tax reserve certificate has already issued, the time taken to issue the formal receipt is not regarded as excessive.
Could the Minister have arrangements made so that the acknowledgment of the tax reserve certificate goes out with the receipt for the cheque? If there is a lapse, as there has been on many occasions, of several days, between the acknowledgment of the receipt of the cheque and the acknowledgment of the receipt of the tax reserve certificate, doubts and misunderstandings do arise, and I am sure the Minister, as an accountant, will appreciate that.
I think that could be done.