Tax return made simple? Well, that's what the State's first interactive, online tax consultancy service is aiming to provide.

With 85,000 of the 1.1 million PAYE taxpayers in the State required to fill in Form 12 income tax returns each year, there should be considerable interest in the new website, TaxMate, which is a co-production between the tax consultants HLB VF Nathan & Co and Telecom Eireann and is located on the Telecom Homepage (www.tinet.ie).

Once you get on the site you need to key in your RSI number and other details which are entirely secure and confidential, says Telecom. This will produce a tax calculator and should indicate your tax liability for 1997-98. Form 12 - the completed income tax return - can then be printed and submitted to the Revenue.

Telecom Internet claims that the new service has plenty of advantages: it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week; it has been designed by tax specialists and is user-friendly; it provides hints and tips on how to complete your return; it is a precursor to the day when we will all have to file online with the Revenue and finally, you might even discover you are due a refund after completing the exercise.

Meanwhile, Bank of Ireland has added a good personal finance site to its website (www.boi.ie).

Appearing under the heading Savings & Investments, what is particularly good about this site is that it does not try to push any particular account or product. Instead, you choose the saving or investment scenario that best suits your needs, a quick analysis is provided and up pops a couple of product choices.

For example, Family Money opted to save up to £49 a month, for less than seven years, but without needing access to the money. The bank suggested we consider a PIP, a demand deposit account or a reserve deposit account and explained the differences between them. It also warned against making any hasty decisions and urged us to consider talking to someone in person about it - it then provided an additional option for contacting a Bank of Ireland financial adviser.

This site fulfils its purpose well: the information is clear and up-to-date, it is easy to use and the programme can be downloaded into your own PC for instant access. The advice is not absolutely objective, but it raises the possibility of one of the few firms providing independent financial advice launching a website that looks at all the major product producers on the market and making recommendations.