Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 November 2013
61. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to concerns of taxpayers regarding having to pay the property tax for once-off payments so far in advance of when the tax is actually due; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47652/13]
View answer68. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Finance if he will extend the deadline from 1 January 2014 for persons who wish to pay their local property tax in full by cash as the date for payment is 1 January 2014; if he will extend this deadline to 1 March 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47739/13]
View answer71. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Finance the reason those paying the property tax for 2014 using a credit or debit card cannot pay the tax in the year in which it is due; and if he will consider extending the deadline for such payments to the end of January 2014 or later. [47786/13]
View answer81. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Finance if he will intervene and give householders a reasonable time in which to pay the property tax for 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47874/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 61, 68, 71 and 81 together.
Similar questions concerning payment of the 2014 LPT liability have been raised by a number of Deputies previously and I provided a detailed reply on 5 November to Questions Nos. 143 [47110/13], 202 [46491/13], 214 [46815/13], 215 [46879/13], 216 [46881/13], 229 [46999/13], 232 [47059/13], 239 [47101/13], and 252 (47136/13) which addresses many of the issues raised by Deputies in these Questions.
There is no requirement on any property owner to pay their 2014 LPT before 1 January 2014. Furthermore, the Revenue Commissioners have made payment options available which provide property owners with options to pay in phased payments during 2014 or in one single debit from their current account as late as 21 March 2014. Property owners are fully entitled to change their chosen payment method for 2014, and also entitled to apply for a deferral of the tax if they consider that they are entitled by reference to their financial circumstances, by completing the LPT return on paper or online.
I am satisfied that the range of payment options are such that no property owner has to pay their LPT liability for 2014 before the end of this year unless they choose to do so and I note that the Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners informed the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform that large numbers of property owners have been successfully filing returns and selecting a payment option for 2014. The Committee was also informed that, due to the volume of queries regarding Local Property Tax (LPT) payment methods from people who filed their 2013 return on paper, the Commissioners have extended the 2014 paper LPT filing deadline from 7 to 14 November 2013.
