Sir, – Most of the outrage about the Local Property Tax payments for 2014 has focused on the issue of payment being required in November 2013 for those who wish to pay by cheque or credit card, and also on the general lack of clarity in the Revenue’s communications on this issue.
However, a more fundamental point has been obscured by all of this. The payment date for those who opt for a single debit is March 21st, 2014. For those who opt for deduction from salary or pension in monthly instalments, the “average” payment is mid-year. So there is a financial penalty and a perhaps a significant cash-flow problem for those who wish to make a single payment.
The only really just and reasonable solution is to make mid-year (June 30th) the deadline for single debit authority payments, and a somewhat earlier date (say end-April or May) for those using cheques or credit cards to allow time for clearance and processing. Of course changing things would be inconvenient for the Revenue: it might even be impossible at this late stage. But a firm direction should be given to the Revenue about 2015 and, if necessary, legislation should be introduced regarding payment dates in the future, to make sure that this debacle never happens again.
The only need for the Revenue hearing from anyone this month should be in cases where people wish to change payments from monthly to annual or vice versa. – Yours, etc,
JOHN SHEEHAN,
Willbrook Lawn, Dublin 14.
Sir, – Michelle Carroll from the Revenue Commissioners is completely missing the point (November 1st). The issue is that those of us who wish to pay by credit/debit card, and select this option on the Revenue website, are charged immediately and this is made clear.
I do not wish to pay monthly, nor do I wish to select a single debit option. I want to pay by Mastercard as I paid last year and also paid the household charge by this method. However, I have no intention of paying in November!
Revenue has slipped up here and would be better to correct the error and let people select an option to pay by card and then come back and pay in January. Revenue is usually the most efficient and easy to deal with of all the government departments but everyone can make a mistake. Correct it and stop confusing everyone. – Yours, etc,
CAROLINE MOLLOY,
Abbeyvale,
Swords,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Maybe the Revenue Commissioners would be better advised to stick to the time-honoured KISS principle when advising the Irish taxpayer on how to pay. It appears that giving us seven options has proved more controversial than the tax itself. – Yours, etc,
JOHN EGAN,
Bullock Park,
Carlow.
Sir, – Only seven ways to pay the centrally collected property tax? Why are we not allowed to pay in cash? Is it too inconvenient for the Revenue?
Would somebody please check the Constitution – are the government departments serving the people or are we working for them, making things so very convenient for them all? What’s wrong with having cash? Unfashionable as it may seem, if we had a good few bags of it, sure the country wouldn’t be broke! – Yours, etc,
LAURENCE HOGAN,
Braemor Grove,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – The mandarins in the Department of Finance have certainly got it wrong this time. Whatever is paid in property tax at the end of the month will be deducted from the Christmas spend, 23 per cent of which goes back to the Government in VAT. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. – Yours, etc,
TIM BRACKEN,
Pope’s Quay,
Cork.
Sir, – It took less than two minutes for me to file my return for 2014, and print off the Revenue receipt, confirming that the charge will be debited to my current account on March 21st.
Simple, efficient, no confusion. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK BURKE,
Clontarf Road,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – I wish to wholeheartedly back the brave Cabinet ministers tackling our wayward revenue officials (who could possibly have authorised them to collect a property tax?).
I also hope they will turn their attention to another appalling rip-off many of us face week in, week out. I have for a long time been confused and dismayed at having to use a device called a “credit card” on this thing called “the Internet” only to be sent complex numbers in some sort of booking code for a variety of goods and services. Indeed, just like the property tax, I am expected sometimes to pay upfront for things such as flights and hotels. A terrible state of affairs!
I can also exclusively reveal that one prominent such firm in the air transport area imposing these dastardly practices has the State as a major shareholder! I call on our brave Cabinet ministers to compel Aer Lingus to return to quills, semaphore and used banknotes, otherwise none of us will ever make it off this island haven of hi-tech cloud computing. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL Mc LOUGHLIN,
Riverwood Heath,
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.
Sir, – The impression given (Michelle Carroll, Revenue Commissioners, November 1st) is one of payment being accepted by the Revenue under any normal method of payment. But only today I learned that it doesn’t accept payment by credit card in instalments. Direct debit instalment payments are accepted, but not credit card instalments “The Revenue haven’t set it up like that” I was told when I inquired.
Maybe somebody should tell Revenue to set things up to help people pay this tax which only came about because of hubris and over confidence on the part of the civil service and the government letting the country’s financial system slide into the abyss and thereby providing an opening for the troika to order the introduction of the property tax. – Yours, etc,
LIAM COOKE,
Greencastle Avenue,
Coolock,
Dublin 17.