Revenue published the results and analysis of the survey carried out of approximately 2,000 SMEs. The purpose of the survey was to quantify a number of aspects relating to SME customers which represents a large section of Revenue's customer service base. The three broad areas covered by the survey were; Revenue customer service, factors that influence compliance, and difficulties paying tax.
It seems that the survey was voluntary - taxpayers were not obliged to complete it. Among the key findings of the survey reported include:
- More than 87% of respondents are either very satisfied or satisfied with overall Revenue customer service delivery.
- Revenue sanctions, such as interest charges for late payment of tax, strongly influence taxpayers' compliance.
- Nearly a quarter of respondents, of which a high proportion belongs to the construction sector, indicated that they had encountered difficulties paying tax in time and/or in full in the 12 months prior to the survey.
A similar survey was carried out in the period April and July 2006 and the report also includes relevant comparisons between the results of this survey and those of 2006.
The full report is available here