Employees could be put of pocket for weeks at a time under  on expense payments, it has been claimed.
More than an Accountant
The Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies Ireland (CCAB-I) a group representing the main accountancy bodies in Ireland has written to Finance Minister Michael McGrath to raise “grave concerns” about the requirement that comes into effect on January 1, 2024.

Cróna Clohisey, tax and public policy lead at Chartered Accountants Ireland, part of CCAB-I, told the Sunday Independent that she was “deeply concerned” about the timing of the implementation of new rules that would impact every employer in the country.

An information campaign planned by Revenue on the issue in the coming weeks “may be too little too late”, she said.

“Every single tax-free benefit or payment made to a worker, which will include ad-hoc items like an easter egg or a bunch of flowers on the birth of a child, must be reported to Revenue at the time or even before it is made,” she said.

Ms. Clohisey told the Sunday Independent: k“We know from speaking to accountants that this real-time reporting requirement is going to cause all manner of practical difficulties for employers, many of whom are trying to operate as best they can against rising costs and staff constraints.”

An annual reporting requirement would be more practical, she said.