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'Sense of alarm' over Revenue investigation of blind pension

A report yesterday said Revenue is to start looking at records to see if individuals are in receipt of a second pension and assess their level of tax compliance.

AN ORGANISATION REPRESENTING visually impaired people in Ireland has expressed concern about plans by the Revenue Commissioner to investigate those in receipt of the blind pension.

An article in the Sunday Business Post said that Revenue is to start sorting through the records of people who are receiving the blind pension to determine if any of them are in receipt of a second pension and assess their level of tax compliance.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Des Kenny, CEO of the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI), said the organisation was “surprised” to hear that Revenue would extend to investigating people on the payment because it is “heavily means tested”.

There are 1,400 people in receipt of the payment and all of them are under the age of 65. After that, Kenny said they would move onto the regular contributory pension.

Kenny said there was a “sense of alarm” about Revenue being in charge of this review, rather than social protection officers, who he said “already have the experience to communicate with people who perceive themselves to be vulnerable”. He said his would be particularly worrying in cases where a person may be suspected of a breach as Revenue may not be equipped to properly communicate this to people.

“But in no way would we tolerate anyone who doesn’t declare an income – we see that as an absolute necessitaty as part of the legitimacy of this assistance payment,” Kenny added.

Read: Blind community to blitz Irish Rail with protest texts>

Read: New art exhibition will be accessible to blind audiences>

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37 Comments
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    Mute Declan
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 3:23 PM

    It would be more in revenues line to pull up records and stop the fat pensions from the blind bastard (Politicians, bankers, etc) who drove Ireland off a cliff.

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    Mute wayne o neill
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 3:31 PM

    Don’t see them chasing Bertie and his mates who ripped this country off after all they didn’t see it coming yeh right

    178
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    Mute John Cotter
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 3:44 PM

    A few years ago the Italian authorities checked the driving licences against those in receipt of a visually impaired allowance and it showed up a large level of fraud. This might do the same

    113
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    Mute RP McMurphy
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 6:13 PM

    @John Cotter. Funny that you chose the Italian example John….their legal enforcers are almost as corrupt, lazy and fraudulent as ours….Almost, but not quite!!

    39
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    Mute Dennis Laffey
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 4:01 PM

    In fairness why would they be excluded from scrutiny? We are talking about tax compliance, and there is nothing for the vast majority of them (I am sure) to be alarmed about it…
    That said, as the others on this article have commented, there are probably some bigger targets they could have gone for first!

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    Mute Niall Sullivan
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 5:10 PM

    If revenue want to make a few quid they’d pile resources in to finding non declaring landlords. That in itself would likely yield major income,

    73
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    Mute Sharon Obrien
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 3:36 PM

    At this stage they must be having a laugh,can some one tell me who it is sitting in an office somewhere thinking up ways to rob irish people in any way they can and get away with it.

    65
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    Mute Stephen Fitzpatrick
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 3:58 PM

    Ensuring compliance is not robbery.

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    Mute Joey JoeJoe Shabadoo
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 4:05 PM

    Only in Ireland can civil servents doing their job be considered a bad thing.

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    Mute Eugene Quinn
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 4:41 PM

    The Civil servants are expected to be civil in carrying out their jobs. They are neither courteous / civil and they not supply any service

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    Mute Joey JoeJoe Shabadoo
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 4:48 PM

    I see what you did there Eugene

    23
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    Mute Enola Straight
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 5:10 PM

    “Compliance” my hole. Revenue are the lowest of the low if they do this.

    33
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    Mute AlanH -AFC
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 6:15 PM

    Why ? They are only doing their job and implementation of current tax law is their only concern. If your tax compliance is without question then fine nothing to worry , but if not then your in breech of current tax liability laws.

    31
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    Mute RP McMurphy
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 6:18 PM

    @eugene quinn. Expect to be absolutely buried in red thumbs from our busy honourable hard-working….sorry, they’ve been home since 4… Forget it.

    14
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    Mute Sharon Obrien
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 4:00 PM

    John if thats the case l agree with you,that should not be allowed.My point the big fish here are walking around claiming thousands of euro every year and theres not a dickie bird said to them.

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    Mute Joey JoeJoe Shabadoo
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 4:08 PM

    Do you have any evidence that former politicians in receipt of a public pension, are not tax compliant.

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    Mute Emily Elephant
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 4:10 PM
    28
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    Mute Catherine Lonergan
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 8:24 PM

    Yes. Bertie ahern when he was serving as taoiseach had 22 bank accounts.. Yet people find it hard enough to get one!

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    Mute Emily Elephant
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 10:21 PM

    That’s 22 more than he had when he was Minister of Finance.

    11
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    Mute Sharon Obrien
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 4:08 PM

    Dennis if these people are doing wrong they should be held accountable but in money value they are the last of a very long line.

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    Mute Declan Carr
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 4:06 PM

    They are robbing them blind

    33
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    Mute Patrick Moran
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 5:54 PM

    As a child in rural Ireland years ago, I remember a neighbour of mine who used to drive to the post office to collect his blind pension. Incidentally both the neighbour and the post office are long since deceased, however the spectacle of this whole arrangement always makes me laugh when I think about it.

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    Mute Emily Elephant
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 6:31 PM

    Sure we have Braille on the ATMs. Presumably for the people who can see the numbers of the screen but not the bigger numbers on the keypad.

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    Mute michael conlon
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 5:16 PM

    Fine Gail aided by Labour were always down on pensioners of all disscriptions does anyone here remember the same Cruel party’s taking one shilling a week from old age pensioners a shilling was a lot to a pensioner who at the Time had to be over 70 . out of memory back In power this Latest onslaught will jog people’s memory’s as to these nazi lovers capability’s ,

    26
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    Mute gerbreen
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 8:23 PM

    Onslaught?
    What have the senior citizens lost as yet?

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    Mute michael conlon
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 9:56 PM

    apart from Inflation cuts to gas ESB Tellicom a trebling of medicine costs six years now since pensions were looked at as one who paid Into the system for over 50 years and paid 65% tax in the 80s I’d like to know your agenda in questioning what’s been cut OAPs ,

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    Mute pongodhall
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    Oct 25th 2013, 11:58 AM

    Pensioners have had over 40 euros per week from basic and the cuts amount to more, there are more coming. There are also new bills from dentist, house tax, huge blows as prescription charges hit harder and harder, and more to come. The dentist and optician are now every 2 years instead of yearly. The NCT was 2 yearly but is now yearly. The Christmas bonus was taken a good while back. Our bus got stopped here. There is still no hope in sight of street lighting, pavements either. The hedges are cut infrequently and I am not a driver and am ver scared to try the lane as the traffic has become like le mans. Potholes etc have temporary repairs and do not last. There have been many cuts and they affect the elderly and disabled severely. Many allowances have been curtailed and now some give 1/4 of the original amount. Bills are considerably higher as the price of all goods have increased so much.

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    Mute Tony Slap
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 4:57 PM

    Revenue are probably the most efficient and fairest organisation in this country.

    25
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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 5:09 PM

    AS long as you don’t call garlic apples

    29
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    Mute Tony Slap
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 6:33 PM

    As long as you don’t try and cheat the country out of millions.

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    Mute John Doee
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 4:26 PM

    Didn’t see that one coming

    20
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    Mute Seán Ryan
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 5:56 PM

    Surely everybody must be treated equally by revenue!

    17
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    Mute Sexy Taoiseach
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 5:19 PM

    Everyone should be checked that way its fair

    17
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    Mute Bill Hunter
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 8:22 PM

    Personally, I really don’t think many people have a problem with this. I think what is annoying most people, myself included is, there are much bigger fish out there needing to be caught and this government and the revenue’s game is to go and hit the softer, easier target. Banks have ruined this country, yet as soon as the recession is over you will all forget what they did and play their game again until the next recession. Meanwhile pensioners of any sort will have to be scraping ever deeper to make ends meet.

    13
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    Mute Catherine Lonergan
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 8:23 PM

    Sur they won’t be able to see whats taken off of them, just like the children they’ve been robbing from for the last 5 years. Hitting the targets that cat do anything about it instead of hitting the pockets of the criminals who put us in this mess in the first place!

    10
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    Mute Jazz O'Gorman
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    Sep 23rd 2013, 6:19 PM

    The levels of fraud in this country against the state are truly phenomenal. It’s going to take decades to root them all out.

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    Mute New Property
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    Sep 24th 2013, 12:26 AM

    We are liveing back in time when the King would tax every body/thing we cant even aford real food any more now there robing the blind. We need to over trow the king we do all the jobs for them they get all the cash pay us a so called good wage and to get it back they taxes us hevey.

    4
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