Have Revenue got it right at last or at least a bit fairer for all residents in Ireland?

A last ditch effort is being made by revenue to allow people to volunteer to pay their Local Property Tax and their outstanding Household charge before contacting employers and Pension providers to take the deductions at source!

The Office of the Revenue Commissioners has told more than 50,000 property owners that they will begin telling employers and pension providers to deduct the Local Property Tax from non-payers at source unless it is paid within seven days. In a statement, Revenue said the returns had to be filed online within one week.

It looks like there is no hiding place as Self-employed homeowners who fail to register have been warned they will be blocked from receiving a tax compliance certificate until they comply and pay. This in effect would mean some self employed people may not be able to work, take for example a taxi driver who is required to have a tax compliance Cert before A PSV licence will be issued .

Where the Household Charge for 2012 has not been paid or has been part paid by 1 July 2013 the arrears amount (including late payment penalties) will be increased to €200 and will be included as part of the LPT liability in respect of the property. In effect, the arrears of the Household Charge becomes an LPT charge and will be collected by Revenue. Unfortunately for people who did not pay their household charge a flat fee of €200 is now due along with the Property Tax Charge which will be deducted in the coming weeks at a time that people are already finding it difficult with extra costs as children return to school, college and the extra cost of the summer holidays in general . It's a hard one to call but looks like we will have no choice in the matter !

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Posted byDenise CowleyinLPT

Maternity Benefit and issues with P2Cs!

Maternity Benefit is taxable in Ireland since 1st July 2013, but remains exempt from PRSI and USC. Adoptive Benefit and Health and Safety Benefit are also taxable since 1st July 2013.

Revenue has advised that the employee’s tax credit certificate (P2C) will issue on the Week 1 basis when Revenue receives details of the payments from the DSP.

However it would seem that in some situations P2Cs have issued incorrectly on the cumulative basis. Employers should check before importing P2Cs from ROS to ensure that this does not occur. The impact from an employees point of view is that they would possibly end up owing money to revenue as the credits and SCOP would be lower that the original amounts put in at the beginning of the tax year and because the cert has been issued on a cumulative cert it would look for the extra tax as soon as the employee is due payment again . Its bad enough that women have to pay tax on their maternity payment without ending up with a tax bill in error aswell !

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Posted byDenise CowleyinPayroll Software

Maternity benefit tax could cost women up to €3,000

Mothers and pregnant women face losses of up to nearly €3,000 a year as part of the tax on maternity benefit which came into force on July 1st.

Women’s representatives said the measure was a mean-spirited move by the Government.

The tax will contribute €15m to the exchequer in 2013, and €40m per full year from then on.

But the National Women’s Council yesterday expressed concern that many women were not aware when the reductions in benefit would take affect.

Its policy advisor Ann Irwin explained: “It’s a very mean-spirited move in a lot of ways. Even the commission on taxation has said that maternity benefit should remain outside the tax net. It’s there for mothers to nurture children when outside the workforce.

“The benefit payments are an important acknowledgment for mothers of the cost of having a baby in Ireland.”

Opposition parties have branded the new tax measure as “anti-family” and it could see working mothers pay up to €2,700. Mothers will pay different rates depending on their top-up payments from their employer as well as assessments on their means.

The tax could see benefits reduced by up to €103 a week, the council said.

The Department of Social Protection paid out €309m in maternity benefit payments in 2011.

Mothers get between €217.80 and €260 a week in payments for 26 weeks.

The council said women who got employer top-up payments would be worst affected but that it remained unknown how many would be affected by the levy.

But ministers have insisted women overall will not be worse off. Some had been receiving high payments while on maternity leave, ministers have also said.

However, Ms Irwin said many women remained in the dark about the tax. “The first they may know about it while on leave is when their next pay package comes in.”

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Posted byDenise CowleyinPAYEPayroll SoftwarePRSI