Tax deadline missed due to PC failure

OVER four hours of computer downtime in the Revenue Commissioners since Tuesday has prevented some self employed getting their tax returns through in time for the 12 midnight deadline on Thursday night.

How many were affected the failure of the system hasn’t been established but the spokesperson suggested the number was “small”.

The Revenue revealed yesterday their computer system was suffering intermittent failures amounting to two hours on Tuesday.

A similar pattern affected the system on Wednesday when down time amounted to 65 minutes in all followed by periodic shut downs on Thursday of 130 minutes.

Last night, a spokesperson for the Revenue confirmed it had a “bit of bother” with the system over the past few days.

Those who filed to meet Thursday’s 12 midnight deadline will not be penalised in anyway.

Figures released yesterday by the Revenue disclosed that 65% of the self employed used the internet to return their self assessment tax forms.

The Revenue’s target for this year was to achieve a 50% electronic return, the spokesperson said.

In all the Revenue had received 205,887 returns in total by Thursday night’s deadline generating a tax intake of €1.4 billion and it was the first time the amount of tax paid on online passed the €1bn-mark this year.

The Revenue Online Service (ROS) system is based in Blackrock in Dublin where the difficulties with the computer system arose.

The Institute of Taxation requested an extension of the details to allow for the systems failure.

That request as rend down, but Revenue stressed nobody suffer financially as a result of the hiccup.