Collins calls on Revenue to provide outreach service for pensioners

Limerick Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins has called on the Revenue Commissioners to provide a community outreach service to address the ongoing concerns of pensioners who are being targeted for more tax.
 
Deputy Collins said: “There is still so much confusion and worry among tens of thousands of older people after letters telling them they owe more tax landed on their doorsteps last week. Since then, many have experienced significant difficulties or delays in contacting the Revenue Commissioners to find out what exactly this means for them.
 
“It is incumbent on the Revenue Commissioners to ensure that each of the 115,000 pensioners affected by this has their questions answered immediately. Many of these people are in care or are not in a position to attend the local tax office to find out how this impacts on their weekly pension. I am calling on Revenue to go out into the community and provide a temporary outreach service to give these people the opportunity to get personal advice on paying back any extra tax owed due to a miscalculation of their liabilities.
 
“This situation has been very badly handled by all involved.  The Government have attempted to distance themselves from the controversy despite the fact that they knew that this mail out was taking place more than a month in advance, at the very least. Still they chose not to inform pensioners about what was to happen. The result is that just a few days after Christmas, at a time when budgets are already extremely tight, 115,000 pensioners were shocked by the news that they owe more tax. This has caused immense distress among many of our most vulnerable people and they now deserve to have their concerns addressed.”