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The Commissioners of Revenue online systems have experienced major problems as thousands of people try to log in to check if they owe taxes on the Covid-related payments they received last year.
It is understood that the income site has been blocked several times.
“The site has been blocked several times. People have great difficulties accessing the system, ”explained one contributor.
A Revenue spokesperson said: “We are aware of some intermittent issues for those using our online services this morning, so some customers can access the service without any issue, while for some the performance is slow and others see a ‘service not available ‘message.
“Our technical teams are currently working to resolve the issues.”
It comes as the Treasury Department has told thousands of people that they owe taxes on the money they received under Covid’s wage subsidy scheme and PUP payments.
However, they have been informed that they have up to four years to make the payments.
About 420,000 people have received tax bills today as a result of the payments they received under the two schemes last year.
This refers to those who received the Temporary Wage Subsidy Plan and those who received the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
The preliminary declarations of the year-end tax liability have been made available to all affected PAYE workers on the Revenue.ie website.
About 43 percent will have a balanced position by 2020, based on income.
This means they owe no taxes.
But some 600,000 people will owe money.
Around 400,000 of these received just one of the government’s Covid grants last year.
Another 706,000 people have overpaid taxes last year and will now have to repay a total of 436 million euros.
Declan Rigney, head of the Personal Revenue division, said: “For those PAYE taxpayers who received one or more of the salary supports during 2020, about 47 percent must be reimbursed or have no additional responsibility.”
He said another 23 percent have an additional tax liability of less than 500 euros.
About 15 percent of those with a tax liability owe between 500 and 1,000 euros.
“Revenue is well aware that underpayments could cause financial hardship for some people and they want to assure these taxpayers that collection will not begin until January 2022, a year from now.
Furthermore, given that the collection of the amount owed will be spread over four years, an insufficient payment will be charged, for example, € 1,000 in amounts slightly less than € 5 per week ”.
He said the preliminary year-end statements will be available in myAccount.ie on the Revenue website starting today.
Tax experts stressed that the year-end returns are only preliminary. The final bill could be less when tax credits and other deductions apply.
Those who owe money can choose to settle the bill immediately.
They can offset the tax bill by claiming tax credits such as medical expenses, dental expenses, and perhaps flat-rate expenses based on your occupancy.
The employer can also pay it and there will be no tax on benefits in kind.
Alternatively, Revenue can gradually recoup the money you own by reducing tax credits over four years starting next year.
Irish independent
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