Mrs Brown’s Boys actor Daniel O’Carroll was among 73 individuals and firms who made settlements in the latest list of tax defaulters.
Mr O’Carroll, son of comedian Brendan O’Carroll, stars as Buster Brady in the hit TV show. He paid nearly €126,000 in tax interest and penalties for underdeclaring income tax and for the non-declaration of Capital Acquisitions Tax.
Other actors from the show were last year linked to an offshore tax structure that helped them avoid hundreds of thousands of euro in tax. Details of the structure, which involved trusts in the Seychelles and Mauritius, emerged as part of the so-called Paradise Papers.
While three actors from Mrs Brown’s Boys used the scheme, Mr O’Carroll and his wife, Amanda Woods, did not.
The Paradise Papers indicated that separate trusts were set up in Mauritius for Mr O’Carroll and his wife at the request of UK-based accountant Roy Lyness, who does the accounts for the Mrs Brown’s Boys global operation, though it was reported that they were never used by them.
The latest tax defaulters’ list, published on Tuesday by Revenue, provides details of 73 taxpayers who have made settlements totalling €12.7 million in the final quarter of last year.
Mark Cagney, presenter of TV3's long-running morning show Ireland AM, was another well-known personality on the list. He paid just over €37,000 in tax interest and penalties for underdeclaring income tax and VAT, according to Revenue's latest list of defaulters.
Mr Cagney, with an address in Sutton Park in Dublin 13, told The Irish Times that a recent audit by the Revenue had uncovered an accounting error, which, when brought to his attention, was settled immediately.
The biggest tax settlement was made by Dublin-based Seces International Trade Ltd, which provides phone repair services and sells hair products. The company, which has an address in Moore St, Dublin 1, made a settlement for more than €1.2 million on foot of an investigation by Revenue.
The liability stemmed from the company’s underdeclaration of corporation tax, VAT, PAYE, PRSI and the universal social charge (USC).
Kenmare-based food entrepreneur Nathalie Benoit, who ran the former Kenmare Salmon Company with her now-deceased husband Remy, made a settlement for just under €136,000 for underdeclaring income tax and VAT.
Irish racehorse trainer Alan Fleming of Tullyeast Limited, with an address in Terenure, Dublin 6W, made a settlement of close to €184, 000 for not declaring the correct level of VAT. Mr Fleming is expected to have up to five runners in the upcoming Cheltenham festival, including a former Cheltenham winner Tully East.
Another notable entity on the list was West Cork department store Burkes of Bantry, a family-run business in operation since 1898. The company was hit with a tax bill of close to €183,000 for underdeclaring Vat.
Haulage
Haulage companies also featured prominently on the latest list, accounting for several of the largest settlements.
Of these, Cork-based Transbound made the largest settlement for just under €1 million for underdeclaring VAT while Co Galway-based P&J Gillane agreed to pay just under €484,000 for the under-declaration of PAYE, PRSI,USC and VAT.
A financial firm and commercial property company with the same address and the same directors each made settlements for close to €250,000. City Financial Marketing Group, with an address of 70 Northumberland Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, agreed to pay €236,108 for the underdeclaration of PAYE, PRSI and USC. Also at the same address Crossroads Property Management Limited, decribed as a commercial property lessor, agreed a settlement of just over 245,000.
Medical consultant John McDonnell, who runs John McDonnell Anaesthetist Limited, and medical practitioner Philippa Kildea Shine separately made settlements of €241,000 and €76,250. Both were registered as the address, 11 Carraig an Iolair, Barna, Co Galway.
Overall, Revenue said there were 73 cases with settlements amouting to €12.7 million for the three-month period. Some 37 cases were for amounts exceeding €100,000, while five exceeded €500,000.
During the three-month period, Revenue said there were a total of 1,120 Revenue audit and investigations, together with 22,515 risk management interventions settled, resulting in a yield of €132.30 million in tax, interest, and penalties.
