FREE HELP IS ON HAND FOR TAXPAYERS

II'S income tax time of year, and Balearic finance and tax minister Lluis Ramis de Ayreflor yesterday announced details of the free advisory service which will be available to help taxpayers complete their tax returns. The service, known as Renda Agil, is promoted by the Balearic government, the tax office and five banks, and this year, it is expected to help 85'000 tax payers, 2.5 percent more than last year. The service is available in English and German, and this year, French has been added.
It is easy to use - a simple phone call sets up an appointment, then all you have to do is take the relevant papers (statement from employer showing earnings, tax and social security deductions, details of interest received, and other relevant papers) down to the office indicated, and specially trained staff fill in the return, ready for you to approve and sign. The system was introduced eight years ago, and since then, the volume of income tax returns it has handled has tripled.
The banks involved are Sa Nostra, La Caixa, CAM, BBVA and Banca March, and Ramis de Ayreflor said that the advertising campaign will open on Saturday.
From Monday, it will be possible to make an appointment by ringing the free phone 900 700012, and the period for completing the returns will run from May 7 to July 1. The minister said that the chief novelty of this campaign is that the central tax office has granted permission for his department to confirm the draft returns which have been sent out to a select number of taxpayers, who have accepted them as correct. This is believed to represent about 6'000 returns. Ramis de Ayreflor also said that an estimated 32'000 Renda Agil users will send their returns in by internet, representing an 11 percent increase on last year. The service also takes into account the needs of the disabled, and last year 21 people received a visit from a tax expert to help complete their income tax returns in their own homes. Ramis de Ayreflor said that this year, he expected this part of the service to expand. One hundred people will be on duty at the 45 telephone lines to make an appointment and the 91 desks for personal help in completing the returns. The desks are in the Formentera town hall, the finance ministry offices in Ibiza and Mahon and the fairs precinct in the Polígono de Levante in Palma. In Palma, the service will be available Mondays to Fridays from 9.30am to 2pm and 4.30 to 7.30pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.
Regarding the changes in the tax rules, Ramis de Ayreflor said that the only variation compared to last year under his department's jurisdiction, is an increase in the percentage to be deducted for handicaps.