Vol. 517 No. 3
151 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Finance the plans, if any, he has to remove VAT from telephone bills for those in receipt of free telephone rental allowance and for pensioners over 66 years of age. [9582/00]
The free telephone rental allowance is available to people who are living in the State, aged 66 years or over, and who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. It is also available to certain people with disabilities under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. In addition, widows-widowers aged from 60 to 65 whose spouses had been in receipt of the free schemes retain that entitlement. The 2000 budget made provision for the free schemes to be extended to all people aged 75 or over regardless of their income or household composition from next October.
The free telephone rental allowance covers the normal two-monthly telephone instrument and line rental charges for a standard telephone and also provides up to 20 free call units in each two-monthly billing period.
VAT on the rental and the 20 free call units is paid as part of the allowance. I have no plans to extend the scheme to cover VAT on calls made by those in receipt of the free telephone rental allowance and for pensioners over 66 years.
