asked the Minister for Finance if he will state, in respect of each schedule, the amount, to the nearest £5,000, of income-tax unpaid, or in default, at 31st March, 1956, for the tax accounting years of 1954-55 and 1953-54 respectively, and for all the previous years en bloc.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Income-Tax Statistics.
Particulars of income-tax outstanding are not compiled as at the 31st March each year; but for the preparation of the annual reports of the Revenue Commissioners such stastistics are compiled as at the 1st June each year. The relevant figures as at the 1st June, 1956, for 1954-55 and for 1953-54 and earlier years are contained in a statistical statement which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to include in the Official Report.
Following is the statement:—
INCOME-TAX OUTSTANDING AS AT THE 1ST JUNE, 1956.
(TO NEAREST £5,000)
|
Year of Account |
Sch. A. |
Sch. B. |
Sch. D. |
Sch. E. |
TOTAL |
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
£ |
£ |
|
|
1954/55 |
220,000 |
25,000 |
2,110,000 |
885,000 |
3,240,000 |
|
1953/54 and earlier |
425,000 |
45,000 |
6,200,000 |
1,800,000 |
8,470,000 |
NOTES.
(1) Combined totals for Schedule A and Schedule B are available. The allocation of the figures between those two Schedules is estimated. A certain degree of estimation exists also in relation to the allocation of tax as between Schedules D and E because, where a taxpayer whose main source of income is assessable under Schedule E has investment income which is assessable under Schedule D, the tax on that latter income would be included in the Schedule E assessment books. The figures have been adjusted by transferring to Schedule D the appropriate amount of tax estimated to relate to such income.
(2) The greater part of the tax shown in the above Table as outstanding was not, in fact, collectable as at the 1st June, 1956, because the assessments were under appeal. The bulk of the tax will eventually be found not to be payable when the appeals have been disposed of.
asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware of the inadequacy of the income-tax statistics presented in the annual reports of the Revenue Commissioners; whether he will have future editions of this section recast to present, as is done in the British reports, the net separate tax yield under Schedules A, B, D and E, respectively, for the preceding fiscal year of account in order that members of the Houses of the Oireachtas and the citizens may have information as to the separate impact of the levy on property, farmers, business and investment income, and employments.
Such statistical material as is collected in the course of the administration of the income-tax is included in the appendix to the report which the Revenue Commissioners submit to me for each financial year. I understand from the Revenue Commissioners that it is possible from the information at their disposal to make for each year a reasonably close estimate of the net produce under each of the separate schedules, and I am asking them to consider the question of incorporating such estimates in future reports.
asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware that statistics in relation to the uncovering of under-assessments to tax and criminal prosecutions as a result of tax offences are given in the British Inland Revenue Report; why corresponding statistics are not given in the report of the Revenue Commissioners; and if he will state (a) in respect of each of the years 1953-54 and 1954-55 the number of investigations undertaken by the commissioners in connection with the uncovering of under assessments, and the amount of revenue collected as a result, and (b) the number of criminal prosecutions undertaken in 1954-55, and the results of such prosecutions.
The inclusion in the annual report of the Revenue Commissioners of the statistics referred to by the Deputy is not considered necessary.
The number of investigations into possible under-assessments to income-tax undertaken in the year 1953-54 was 138. The tax so far collected as a result of these investigations is, approximately, £60,000. In the year 1954-55 the number of investigations undertaken was 145 and the tax so far collected as a result is, approximately, £64,000. Many of the investigations are still in their early stages. In cases in which finality has been reached, settlements satisfactory to the revenue have been obtained and no criminal prosecutions have been instituted either in 1953-54 or in 1954-55.