Property tax - Fears must be allayed

Finance Minister Michael Noonan declared yesterday that the Revenue were “very good at collecting taxes”.

If that means they are very good at scaring half the country to death, very good at unnerving tens of thousands of people with their demands for early payment of the property tax and very good at causing widespread confusion, then one might be inclined to agree with him.

But even Mr Noonan must acknowledge that the Revenue are not very good at communicating their needs to the people in a calm and coherent way.