Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Shutterstock

Administrative issues stop some welfare recipients paying property tax

The problems relate to those who had chosen to pay through social welfare reductions but were not eligible.

A ‘SMALL NUMBER’  of people who chose to pay their Local Property Tax through reductions in social welfare payments are yet to make any payment because of administrative issues.

According to the Revenue Commissioners, the problems occurred when a number of property owners either selected the wrong social welfare payment type, selected a social welfare payment where reductions at source did not apply or were found not to be in receipt of any social welfare payment.

The information came to light last month in response to a Dáil question put to Minister for Finance Michael Noonan by Fianna Fáil’s Michael McGrath.

McGrath was asking about a Department of Social Protection facility put in place to allow customers, when making arrangements with revenue, to choose to pay their property tax over an extended period from their social welfare payments.

Noonan said that in cases where the wrong payment was selected, it was subsequently corrected and deduction at source in these cases should have already commenced.

He added however that in the other two cases mentioned above, the Revenue Commissioners contacted the property owner for it to be corrected, advising them to select an alternative payment method for the property tax. According to Minister Noonan however, in a “small subset” of cases, this has not yet occurred:

The commissioners also advise that, where operational and administrative issues have arisen, they have been addressed on a case by case basis, and there may be a residue of cases where deduction at source from social welfare payments has not yet commenced as these are currently being worked by Revenue.

15,500 property owners

Noonan confirmed that approximately 15,500 residential property owners opted to pay their property tax obligations by way of a deduction at source from a social welfare payment.

This represented a  total liability of €2.26 million in 2013 with the minster confirming that latest figures showed that approximately €720,000 had been collected by revenue to date.

The Minster also said that up to the end of August, just over €21 million had been spent on setting up the operations of the Local Property Tax. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform last December made a provision of €25.9 million in 2013 for its’ implementation.

Read: Over 75 per cent valued homes at less than €200,000 in property tax return >

Read: People who overpaid property tax to get details on how they can claim refunds >

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
19 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Galwaybay
    Favourite Galwaybay
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 7:11 AM

    I applied to have my property tax taken out of my wages on a weekly basis. Nothing has come out of the wage packet yet and my employer hasn’t being contacted by revenue. Is this a common problem because I’m starting to worry that I will be hit with the whole bill in one swoop any of these days which is exactly what I wanted to avoid in the first place

    76
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute tmwtbc
    Favourite tmwtbc
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 7:21 AM

    Could be worth giving them a buzz to see what the story is. I was billed after my landlord had paid but a phone call sorted it without any hassle.

    24
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Galwaybay
    Favourite Galwaybay
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 7:28 AM

    Must do. After not seeing reductions in the wage package initially I forgot about it till I read this article

    15
    See 2 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Joe Bet
    Favourite Joe Bet
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 7:46 AM

    *been

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Catherine Sims
    Favourite Catherine Sims
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 9:15 AM

    Your right to worry . I asked for to be set up on monthly direct debit. When the date of the first payment came and went without any money being taken I immediately emailed revenue. They emailed me back all apologies saying it was there fault but not to worry they would slightly increase the amount of all the rest of the monthly debits to cover the missed first one and the first payment would be taken the next month. As I am on carers I was relieved it was sorted and left it at that. Three days later I went to my bank to discover they had taken the full amount of the property tax in one debit . I was devastated . If I could have afforded to pay it in one go I would have not signed up for staged monthly payments. No explanation or apology from revenue. Just a note to tell me I could set up another monthly direct debit in Jan 14 if I wanted to. Nice .

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute @Turflife
    Favourite @Turflife
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 7:26 AM

    21.5 million to set up the whole farce! Grand so.

    41
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Chopstix
    Favourite Chopstix
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 7:59 AM

    If crooked politicians didn’t give away our natural resources we wouldn’t be as bad off as we are

    40
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute We Differ
    Favourite We Differ
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 10:10 AM

    We let them.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Chopstix
    Favourite Chopstix
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 10:20 AM

    I didn’t

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Right Wing Steve ©
    Favourite Right Wing Steve ©
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 7:53 AM

    All tax is theft

    25
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Golden Bryan
    Favourite Golden Bryan
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 8:32 AM

    Really, Steve?

    So I’ll call the Gards and tell them the Revenue stole my money.

    22
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Right Wing Steve ©
    Favourite Right Wing Steve ©
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 9:35 AM

    Yes

    8
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute margaret
    Favourite margaret
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 10:07 AM

    All tax should be looked on a theft until government can show and prove that taxpayers money goes to pay for services that cannot be provided by other sources. The social contract. Unfortunately we have developed in Ireland a hideous mutual dependency. The government takes our money and then makes the rules, benefitting themselves, the unions, public sector pensioners and the permanent government as a whole. 800+ quangos all with a mission to spend our money but not for our good.
    We in turn then get to blame the government for all our ills when in fact we should blame our selves for not feeling strongly enough about our own money and how it is spent to call a halt!
    It’s an ideological thing. Irish people tend to think collectively and “government” is all pervading and
    intrusive and we accept that as if it’s something that just IS and cannot be changed.
    I blame the sphe and the left wing groupthink in the schools for fostering this unquestioning dependency culture.

    22
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute R Neuville
    Favourite R Neuville
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 9:38 AM

    Italian voters scrapped their hated Local Property Tax (IMU) on Family Homes in Aug 2013.
    Irish voters will do the same at the next election to this odious ‘Anglo Tax’. Don’t worry.

    No EU Government or Troika has a mandate to tax Family Homes.
    —————————————————–
    How to Clawback the Local Property Tax which will double to €500 million in 2014:- http://www.facebook.com/LocalPropertyTax

    22
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Joe Bet
    Favourite Joe Bet
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 7:47 AM

    Idiots

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Fox Trot
    Favourite Fox Trot
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 6:59 AM

    Good thinking on their part !

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Kevin shaw
    Favourite Kevin shaw
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 8:55 AM

    The property tax is an illegal tax. How come nobody was brought to court yet??????

    27
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Chopstix
    Favourite Chopstix
    Report
    Oct 24th 2013, 9:19 AM

    Registration is consent to be taxed

    13
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute pongodhall
    Favourite pongodhall
    Report
    Oct 25th 2013, 11:28 AM

    We did not consent but were threatened.

    6
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds