Six out of ten taxpayers in Ireland still do not claims tax relief on their medical expenses, a new survey has found.
While four out of every ten do not submit a tax return because of a lack of awareness, the research by Taxback.com found.
A similar proportion said they don’t submit a return as they are afraid of having any thing to do with Revenue.
However, the study did find that the level of claims made by taxpayers for medical bills has increased by 13% over the past two years.
“The increase in the number of people claiming, compared to when we asked the same question two years ago is encouraging,” said Marian Ryan, Director of Business Development at Taxback.com.
“But it’s still not enough. Why leave money behind? If you pay your taxes, then you should reap whatever rewards are available – and this is a big one.”
The survey of over 1,200 people also found that 12% felt the tax refund process is too lengthy and complex.
But laziness also comes into it, with one in ten admitting they are too lazy to file a return.
“We need to educate taxpayers on claiming refunds to make it a priority for them and take the fear out of the dreaded words ‘tax return’,” said Ms Ryan.
“They say that knowledge is power but, in the case of tax refunds, knowledge is your money back where it belongs – in your pocket.”
Recent data released by the Minister for Finance showed that in 2021, 450,000 people overpaid tax to the tune of €300m.
Article Source: Six out of ten people don’t claim medical tax refunds – Will Goodbody – RTE
