Q I am not able to afford broadband so I can’t claim PAYE and medical expenses online. Can I post my receipts, and will Revenue send my tax rebate by cheque, as in the past?
A Revenue said it appreciates that not everyone is able to avail of, access or use online services. In such circumstances, taxpayers can still correspond with Revenue by post or telephone.
Its national PAYE (pay as you earn) helpline number is (01) 7383636. Revenue said PAYE employees who are not in a position to file an income tax return online can complete a paper version of the form.
You can request a paper income tax return by calling Revenue’s forms and leaflets ordering line on (01) 7383675. Alternatively, if you can use email you can request a paper return by emailing [email protected] with the appropriate details (PPSN, type of return/forms required, etc).
Where a PAYE employee makes a claim for health expenses via a paper income tax return, he or she is required to keep all original receipts for six years, Revenue said. Receipts are not required to be submitted at the time the claim is made, but they may be requested if the claim is subsequently selected for a verification check.
A PAYE employee can receive a tax refund by cheque if there are no bank details on his or her Revenue record. If Revenue has existing bank details on record from information provided previously by the taxpayer, unless it is told otherwise, this is the payment method that will be used for issuing any refunds due.
The tax authority says all Revenue’s online services can be accessed via mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets and are fully responsive when accessed using mobile data. If this is an option you can manage your tax online through the PAYE Services facility in myAccount.
Registration is at www.revenue.ie/myaccount.
Q In 2005 I paid over €100,000 for an apartment due to be built in a non-EU country. I declared this on my tax return as I was due to receive rental income from the property. The apartment was never built and despite taking successful legal action, along with many other Irish investors, no refund or compensation has been received from the developer. Can I set off the loss on the property against some capital gains made on the sale of shares?
A We put this to the consumer tax manager of Taxback.com Marian Ryan. She said it sounds like what she called a ‘negligible value’ claim. However, there are legal issues around this as we don’t know if the …….