asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider the inclusion in his forthcoming Budget of a measure to include all State employees under PAYE.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Extension of PAYE System.
7.
When the PAYE scheme was being prepared in 1959, it was decided that it should not apply to State employees and certain other groups from whose remuneration income tax was deductible under legal provisions of long standing. These provisions continue to operate satisfactorily and I see no reason for terminating them as respects State employees.
I do not think they operate satisfactorily because I am continually receiving correspondence from persons making complaints about it and asking can nothing be done. For what reason was it decided that these people should be treated differently from everybody else in the State? I can assure the Minister that this is not a matter which is operating satisfactorily from anyone's point of view. Could the Minister tell me why these people are treated differently from anybody else?
Because there was in existence, as I said in the reply, statutory provision already for deducting income tax and it was thought it was working properly and there was no question of paying more or less and, therefore, no hardship was caused to anyone.
Is the Minister aware that these people are assessed when the year has progressed three months and have to pay over nine months when everybody else is paying over a 12-month period? These people are not paid sufficiently that these deductions are of no significance to them. It means budgeting very closely in many houses. I can assure the Minister that it is not a satisfactory arrangement. The fact that legislation was in existence is no reason for not changing it. Surely the Minister is prepared to accept——
The Deputy is making a long statement, not asking a question.
I am trying to convert the Minister to new thinking and to bring him up to date.
I am open to conversion.
Last year at the time of the Budget, the Minister said he would consider the matter for this year's Budget. It was in order to bring it to his mind again that I put down the question.
Is this not the simple answer, that the State is unwilling to engage the clerical staff that would be necessary to administer this? While they impose the obligation on private employers, they are not prepared to undertake the task themselves.
No; we have a computer that could do that adequately.
The Minister ought to get the computor on to it. There is no excuse any longer.
Would the Minister say that he will consider it between now and the Budget?
I will consider it, but I cannot say that I will do so between now and the Budget, which is only a few weeks away.
Surely the computer would give you the answer before that?
The computers are not omniscient, I am sure.
That is what the people who pay the tax say.