I propose to take Questions Nos. 176 and 219 together.
The Revenue Commissioners have responsibility for all administration, collection, enforcement and audit aspects of the Local Property Tax (LPT). The Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011 puts the independence of the Revenue Commissioners in the performance of their functions on a fully statutory basis.
As I have indicated to the House on a number of occasions, most recently in my reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 87 (20652/13) and 92 (20686/13) on 1 May, liable persons who have not yet received an LPT Return from Revenue must still self-assess the amount of LPT due, complete and file their LPT Return by the relevant deadline and pay the tax due. In my previous replies I also indicated that the logistics of ensuring that the chosen payment option can be activated in good time for the July payment date determines the closing date for paper return filing of 7 May 2013. The e-filing closing date of 28 May 2013 is the de facto extension.
While the due date for filing paper Returns has now passed, a number of options are available to property owners for filing their Returns electronically by the 28 May filing deadline. Depending on the customer’s requirements, one of the following options will address their particular needs. For property owners for whom e-filing is not practical, I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the legislation provides that another person may file an LPT Return online on their behalf. A further option includes contacting the LPT helpline on 1890 200 255 (mobile phone users can contact the helpline on 01 702 3049) to file a Return online. Where, due to recent publicity about the attempted mis-use of credit card details, a property owner does not wish to give their credit or debit card details over the phone, if they own a single property, they can file online through the LPT helpline and opt to make their payment through deduction at source from their salary, occupational pension or pension from the Department of Social Protection, by cheque or in cash to one of three service providers. It should also be noted that the credit card holder will not be held liable where the card is used without their proper authorisation.
Furthermore, property owners who either have no internet access or are unable to read or write can also visit their local Revenue office where computers and assistance to file online will be available.
As to difficulties being experienced by people attempting to contact the LPT helpline at 1890 200 255, I am assured by Revenue that only a small number of access issues have been reported since the service commenced on 6 March in comparison to the very high volumes of satisfied callers. Since commencement, the helpline has handled in excess of 300,000 calls, with peak days experiencing 15,000 – 20,000 calls. Any difficulties that may have been experienced by some people were clearly as a result of the high volumes on particular days coming up to the 7 May deadline for paper filers. In response to the demand, Revenue extended the opening hours of the helpdesk from 9am/5pm to 8am/8pm on weekdays and commenced Saturday opening from 9am to 5pm. Extra operators were also deployed to ensure that the necessary resources were in place to deal with the very high volumes of calls. Revenue will continue to monitor the situation and make whatever adjustments are necessary to ensure there is sufficient capacity on the helpline to meet demand up to the 28 May filing deadline. Details of the LPT helpline’s extended opening hours for the period prior to this deadline are already posted on the Revenue website.
Given the range of options that have been made available by Revenue to assist people experiencing any difficulty in meeting their LPT obligations, and the fact that owners of residential properties have already filed in excess of 700,000 returns and utilised the different payment options, I am very satisfied with the current arrangements that Revenue has in place. Therefore, I do not propose, nor is it practicable given the logistics involved, to extend the closing date or consider that any changes to Revenue’s procedures are required in the run-up to the online LPT Return filing date.
