Seán Ryan
Question:294 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Finance the number of non-public sector bodies which have agreed to use the Revenue on-line service; and if he is satisfied this number represents value for money. [8477/02]
Written Answers. - Revenue On-Line Service.
I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the Revenue on-line service now has 5,960 registered customers. Of these, 5,880 are from the private sector. When the agents' customers are included, the total of Revenue customers covered by ROS is 269,867. There are approximately 150 new registrations per week. More than €2.6 billion has been paid through ROS in 20,727 payments. A total of 56,344 return forms have been filed and 57,254 on-line tax inquiries have been made from customers' desktop computers. A total of 3,713 repayments totalling €170 million have been made. Revenue's customers now have a facility to do business at a time and location that suits them. They have the benefits of a speedier, more secure and more accurate processing of tax returns, a reduction in compliance costs, a reduction in paper handling and access to current information. ROS is a flagship pioneering project in implementing e-Government in Ireland and, as such, represents good value for money.