Irish taxpayers demand consumer watchdog
Overwhelming finding from tax institute survey
Nearly 90% of Ireland’s two million taxpayers believe there should be an
organisation to look after their concerns, a survey by the Irish Taxation
Institute has found.
The survey also found that one in every two PAYE taxpayers do not understand
the tax system and that up to €50m (£34.4m) every year is unclaimed by taxpayers
for medical expenses alone.
Mark Redmond, the institute’s chief executive, said people were confused
about their taxes.
‘This depth of feeling towards what is in effect our own money is
not-sustainable and taxpayers themselves are telling us as much today. Lowering
the level of taxes in Ireland since 1997 has had a hugely positive impact on all
our lives but low rates alone don’t make a good tax system. We need to reform
the structure of our tax system,’ he said.