I am informed by Revenue that a key aspect of the work undertaken on the Local Property Tax (LPT) was the development of a comprehensive register of residential properties in the State, which included the consolidation of various Government and non-Government data sources. Part of the development also included a link with Revenue's e-Stamping system, which facilitates a direct update of "stamped" property transactions to the Register. I am also informed by Revenue that the introduction of Local Property Tax (LPT), which amounts to the largest extension of the self-assessment system in its history, continues to represent a very great administrative challenge in maintaining normal customer service contact standards. For example, Revenue has answered in excess of 900,000 phone calls and replied to approximately 220,000 letters or emails since March 2013. In particular, Revenue has experienced unprecedented demand for customer support in recent weeks following the issue of payment reminder notifications in respect of 2014 LPT obligations.
In the specific case raised by the Deputy, the person concerned acquired four properties between July and September of this year and the details of these transactions were correctly entered to Revenue's e-Stamping system. However, due to technical difficulties the transactions did not correctly transfer across to the Property Register. The person made direct contact with Revenue on 30 October requesting that the properties in question be linked to him and Revenue responded on 31 October requesting his PPSN and the relevant Property ID numbers, which he should have received from his solicitor as part of the conveyance process. The person responded to Revenue on 4 November and provided his PPSN and the addresses of three of the properties but did not provide the Property ID numbers. Revenue subsequently tried to link the properties to the person from the information supplied but unfortunately this proved to be a difficult matching exercise without the Property IDs. The linkages were further delayed because the person was involved in a fourth property transaction while the correspondence of 4 November only confirmed three transactions.
Revenue has acknowledged that the person made a number of contacts over the following weeks in an effort to clarify the situation, but because of the volume of correspondence during that period he did not receive a timely reply. However, Revenue has confirmed that the properties in question have now been identified and correctly linked to the person in question. Revenue has assured me that a member of the LPT team will contact the person in the coming days to confirm all the details and will assist him in completing his LPT obligations as necessary.
Revenue has confirmed that the person is considered LPT compliant because his queries were received in advance of the filing deadline and he will not be subject to any penalties providing he meets the outstanding obligations in a timely manner after he receives contact from the LPT team.
