THE REVENUE COMMISSIONERS has spent €67,000 on the local property tax helpline, which is administered by an outside company, in the first quarter of this year.
Figures disclosed by the Minister for Finance in answer to a recent parliamentary question indicate that the cost for the delivery of service by Abtran was €67,000 in the first three months of this year.
The cost is calculated on the volume of calls handled while the individual cost of a call to the helpline is dependent on the individuals’ phone network as well as the type of phone package they have with their operator, according to Noonan.
As part of its agreement with Revenue, Abtran is tasked with helping people understand and complete the property tax form as well as navigate the online system for filing their return.
Abtran was mired in controversy recently when it emerged that it had to suspend a worker suspected of asking callers for their credit card details unnecessarily and attempting inappropriate and potentially fradulent transactions.
The Cork-based company said that 11 callers’ card details had been taken unnecessarily but Revenue insisted at the time that nobody had suffered a loss as a result of the incident.
This was a point was repeated by Noonan in his answer to the parliamentary question posed by independent TD Richard Boyd-Barrett and he said that as gardaí are investigating the incident it would be inappropriate for him to comment further.
“Revenue would like to reassure people that payment of tax by either credit or debit card is completely secure and that in the unlikely event of any illegal access, the card owner will not suffer any loss,” Noonan added.
Have you used the local property tax helpline? What has been your experience of the service? Let us know in the comments.
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