asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the cost of collection of (a) surtax, and (b) surtax, income-tax, and corporation profits tax, for the last year for which information is available.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cost of Tax Collection.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state (1) the cost of collection of income-tax, surtax and corporation profits tax annually, and (2) the total amount of received from such taxes in the last 12 months for which figures are available.
I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 22 and 23 together. It is not possible to state the cost of collection of income-tax surtax and corporation profits tax. These taxes, it will be appreciated, form portion only of the taxes and duties entrusted to the care and management of the Revenue Commissioners. The cost of the Revenue Commissioners' Office is not apportioned over the various items of revenue collected. Many officers engaged in the administration and collection of income-tax, surtax and corporation profits tax are concerned with other work as well as and accordingly it would not be possible to segregate, from other expenditure, the cost appropriate to these taxes solely.
As regards the second part of Deputy Esmonde's Question, the following amounts were received by the Exchequer in the financial year 1956-57 in respect of the taxes mentioned:—
|
£ |
|
|
Income-tax and Surtax |
24,095,000 |
|
Corporation profits tax |
3,075,000 |
|
Total: |
£27,170,000 |
Could the Minister not even say what is the cost of the Inland Revenue side of the Revenue Commissioners' collection?
I could not apportion it to income-tax.
Could the Minister gives any idea of the percentage of the collection of these taxes? I do not ask for definite figures—just the percentage.
I could not. Of all the taxes paid over by the Revenue Commissioners, which amounted in 1955-56 to £89,000,000, the total cost was 2½ per cent. approximately.
I appreciate that, but, in my opinion, it costs a great deal more to collect these taxes than other taxes, such as customs revenue and so forth. Could the Minister not segregate them in any way to show what the percentage would be?
No.