May we start by thanking you and the Board for extending the Pay and File Income Tax deadline to 10 December. This measure is of enormous help to our members in business and practice in these difficult times.

Responding to ever evolving circumstances, we find ourselves again having to prevail upon Revenue to defer another important deadline.

In recent months, our members in business and in practice have been working hard to put phased payment arrangements in place to avail of the three percent reduced interest rate for tax debt. It is to the mutual benefit of taxpayers in difficulty and to the taxpaying public that as many payment arrangements as possible are put in place to collect as much tax as possible. The three percent interest rate is hugely important to so many with tax debts and is a real incentive for taxpayers in trouble to engage with Revenue to regularise their tax affairs.

We ask that the deadline for the three percent payment arrangement is extended to 31 October to allow individuals who cannot pay their 2019 income tax liability access to the reduced rate of interest and to allow more time to businesses working towards a phased payment arrangement to engage with Revenue. Taxpayers unable to pay and file income tax are working on getting their tax returns submitted by 31 October and it seems only fair that they should also have an opportunity to access the reduced interest phased payment arrangement.

Please give this request your careful consideration.