THE REVENUE COMMISSIONERS will save around €20,000 by emailing property tax notices to thousands of homeowners who use its online service.
Approximately 60,000 people who use Revenue Online Service (ROS) and are obliged to pay the new local property tax will receive an email notification of their liability, saving the Revenue some €20,000 in postage costs.
People who use ROS and submit their returns for other taxes electronically are considered to be used to dealing with the Revenue online and so it is viewed as the best way in which to notify them of their liability for the tax.
A spokesperson told TheJournal.ie this week: “It wouldn’t make sense for Revenue to send a hard copy of the return to individuals who are already dealing with their tax affairs through ROS and are obliged by the legislation to submit such returns electronically.”
Consumer groups had hit out at the plan earlier this week saying the decision to email notifications to people who deal with their taxes online would “turn into a shambles”.
But Revenue pointed out that people who use ROS are already obliged to submit returns for other taxes through the system and it should be no different in the case of the property tax.
Revenue will begin issuing property tax correspondence both via post and email to householders next week.
The correspondence will provide an initial estimate of property value and the amount that is due but homeowners can self-assess if they choose to do so.
Revenue added that there are no plans to make the local property tax notification process “universally electronic”.
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