Sligo Revenue office access
Marian Harkin complained that the Revenue office in Sligo was not open to the public and no appointment could be made locally. The Minister of State said she would raise the matter with Revenue and reply to the Deputy.
Many of my constituents have contacted me about the situation where the Revenue office in Sligo is not open to members of the public who wish to discuss their tax affairs. Revenue offices are open in Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Galway but not in Sligo. I know this is not the Taoiseach's direct responsibility but surely the Government should be able to ensure there is some public access to Revenue offices throughout the country. When we contacted the Revenue appointments helpline, we were told that an appointment could not even be made to see somebody in Sligo. Why can the office not be open for two or three days per week? Sometimes tax matters are not straightforward and face-to-face meetings are needed. They say that the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. Surely people should be facilitated to pay their taxes.
Comment on this
I thank the Deputy for raising the question, which speaks to a broader issue about access to individuals in key financial services and being able to talk to somebody about decisions. I will take that back and address it with Revenue and I will come back to the Deputy with a response.