Tax defaulters' list includes eight settlements for more than €1m

The latest list of tax defaulters includes eight settlements for more than €1 million and 148 settlements in all, for a total…

The latest list of tax defaulters includes eight settlements for more than €1 million and 148 settlements in all, for a total of €53.6 million. Almost half of the settlements listed arose from the Revenue's offshore assets and single-premium insurance products investigations.

The largest amount paid was by retired company director John F Connaughton of Howth Road, Dublin 3, who paid €6 million. A company of which he was a director, CF Classic Fashions Ltd, paid €1.1 million. Mr Connaughton could not be contacted yesterday. Martin Murray, company director of Kincora Road, Clontarf, Dublin, made a settlement of €4.4 million arising from underdeclared income tax and capital gains tax. A company with which he is associated, Fashion Fair Ltd, of Drury Street, Dublin 2, made a settlement of €683,788.

The estate of the late Des Traynor made a settlement of €4 million. Oliver Bardon of Morehampton Road, Dublin 4, paid €3.4 million. Mr Bardon is associated with O'Donohues pub on Merrion Row, Dublin.

The estate of Peter O'Brien, a builder and landlord from Bally-garth Manor, Julianstown, Co Meath, made a settlement of €3.1 million, arising from under-declared income tax and VAT.

READ MORE

The estate of an electrician, the late Edward J Ryan, made a €1.7 million settlement arising from undeclared income tax.

A farmer from Drumhillock, Co Monaghan made a settlement of €1.3 million. John Brady's settlement of income tax, interest and penalties, arose from the Revenue's single-premium insurance investigation.

The latest defaulters' list includes the estate of the late Dermot O'Reilly-Hyland, a former quantity surveyor, of Glenealy, Co Wicklow, whose €600,000 settlement arose from the Revenue's Ansbacher investigation.

Two companies associated with John Reynolds, the nephew of former taoiseach Albert Reynolds, made settlements. Industria Entertainment Ltd, which is associated with the Pod club on Harcourt Street, Dublin, made a settlement totalling €531,341, arising from the underpayment of PAYE and PRSI.

Sandgate Ltd, a company associated with the Spy Bar on South William Street, Dublin, made a settlement of €234,047, again arising from the underdeclaration of PAYE and PRSI.

The latest filed accounts for Sandgate Ltd, for the year to end March 2006, include a note concerning a €231,752 provision for tax arising from a Revenue investigation into "payments made on invoices received from the company's independent security provider". Efforts to reach Mr Reynolds or a spokesman for the companies yesterday were unsuccessful.

Home Farm Football Club Ltd, of Swords Road, Dublin 9, made a settlement totalling €38,092 arising from the underdeclaration of VAT and PAYE/PRSI. The payment arose from a Revenue audit case.

Only settlements above certain thresholds and where the penalty involved exceeds 15 per cent of the tax, are listed. The published settlements reflect only a portion of all Revenue audits and investigations concluded in the three-month period to September 30th, 2007. The total yield from Revenue audit and investigation programmes in the period July 1st to September 30th, 2007, was €139.89 million.

Of the 148 settlements, 18 totalling €6.06 million related to bogus non-resident account holders; 32 totalling €20 million related to Revenue investigations into offshore funds; four totalling €5.88 million related to Ansbacher account holders, and 32 totalling €11.20 million related to the Revenue's single-premium insurance products investigation.

Colm Keena

Colm Keena

Colm Keena is an Irish Times journalist. He was previously legal-affairs correspondent and public-affairs correspondent