I propose to take Questions Nos. 182 and 183 together.
I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that, until recently, claims for section 23/section 27 reliefs and other similar reliefs, were aggregated in tax returns with other claims, such as with industrial buildings allowances generally or with other capital allowances, and did not distinguish between the reliefs claimed in respect of the different schemes and so were not separately identifiable. Details of tax relief claimed for investment in these schemes were not captured by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners in such a way as to provide a specific basis for compiling estimates of the total annual cost to the Exchequer or the numbers of taxpayers who benefited from these reliefs.
My Department and the Revenue Commissioners examined how information capture in this area could be improved and the Revenue Commissioners have introduced changes to the income tax returns forms which are intended to yield additional information on the take up of a range of reliefs claimed by individuals. These changes include information on claims in respect of section 23/section 27 reliefs and other similar reliefs. This information will begin to become available from late 2005. Corresponding changes have been made to the corporation tax return form which will produce similar information for accounting periods ending in 2005 and subsequent years.