The Chairman of the CCAB-I Tax Committee, Paul Dillon, has written to the Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners on the unfair and confusing letters issued to self-assessed taxpayers.

Although the letter has a heading “Reviewing and Correcting Your Tax Returns”, Revenue have indicated that the main purpose of the letter is to notify taxpayers of restrictions to the disclosure regime due to take effect on 1 May 2017 where a taxpayer has an irregularity relating an offshore matter. According to feedback from our members, the letters have sparked widespread concern among compliant self-assessed taxpayers that their tax returns may be incorrect, which is not the case for the majority of this cohort of taxpayer.

In place of issuing further confusing correspondence to the self-assessed, the CCAB-I calls for a more effective approach such as an information campaign for all taxpayers, self-assessed and otherwise, in relation to disclosures after 1 May 2017.