# How many taxpayers actually file a return?



## WizardDr (12 Oct 2020)

Two Million Taxpayers +

150,000 (one hundred and fifty thousand) actually file a Return

Great country for non-self employed.


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## Blackrock1 (12 Oct 2020)

whats your point? most people dont need to.


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## Drakon (12 Oct 2020)

I think it should be made compulsory. That, and voting.


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## NoRegretsCoyote (12 Oct 2020)

Drakon said:


> I think it should be made compulsory. That, and voting.



I mean everyone pays VAT but it's very inconveniently done for us automatically by the seller.

Maybe we should all carry our receipts around and file a VAT return at the end of the year instead.


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## Drakon (12 Oct 2020)

Alas, many prefer to use Tax Back Dot Com to do it for them, at a price.


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## Purple (12 Oct 2020)

WizardDr said:


> Two Million Taxpayers +
> 
> 150,000 (one hundred and fifty thousand) actually file a Return
> 
> Great country for non-self employed.


Great little country for Revenue; most people who are not self employed would be claiming back medical expenses etc.


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## WizardDr (12 Oct 2020)

Virtually all the reasons for filing a PAYE return are now capable of being done without a Return.

Three issues arise:

1, It encourages people not to return casual income that is fully taxable;
2, The madness of a separate structure for that outrageous property tax could have been avoided
3. Number 1 is a trap for the unwary when it is far simpler not to a return.

It is also a badge of citizenship.


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## shweeney (12 Oct 2020)

WizardDr said:


> It is also a badge of citizenship.



what does that even mean?

I've had to file a form 11 the last few years, even though most of my income is PAYE, and it's a total PITA . There's no reason to make people do it if they don't have to.


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## Purple (12 Oct 2020)

WizardDr said:


> 2, The madness of a separate structure for that outrageous property tax could have been avoided


If you mean property tax is way too low then I agree, it is outrageous.


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## Drakon (12 Oct 2020)

WizardDr said:


> 2, The madness of a separate structure for that outrageous property tax could have been avoided



Property Tax is a great (though obvious) thing. It widens the tax base. Even if there is high unemployment and lower income tax takings, the state still received this tax.
It would have softened the blow of the post-Celtic Tiger recession had it existed.

My sister lives in Florida. Her property tax is $35,000 per annum.


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## Gordon Gekko (12 Oct 2020)

Drakon said:


> Property Tax is a great (though obvious) thing. It widens the tax base. Even if there is high unemployment and lower income tax takings, the state still received this tax.
> It would have softened the blow of the post-Celtic Tiger recession had it existed.
> 
> My sister lives in Florida. Her property tax is $35,000 per annum.



I didn’t realise that Melania had a brother in Ireland...


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## Drakon (12 Oct 2020)

...delete post...


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## WizardDr (13 Oct 2020)

If a reasonable person in Revenue was seeking to make tax returns simpler and integrated they would have realized that the Income Tax Return should also cater for Property Tax return.

They realized that if they did this the whole country would be making one return for both taxes and they decided that even though this was the right thing to do that would go a separate return so as to avoid citizens making a single return.

Casual income is growing and Revenue were negligent in not combining the two returns so as to encourage the disclosure of casual income.


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