Burton wants commission to assess tax relief

Tax avoidance schemes should be investigated by a new commission, Labour Party finance spokeswoman, Ms Joan Burton, said today…

Tax avoidance schemes should be investigated by a new commission, Labour Party finance spokeswoman, Ms Joan Burton, said today.

With the Government admitting it is unable to assess the value of the tax breaks, Ms Burton believes it is time to reassess many of the nearly 30 schemes, some of which are used by the extremely wealthy to avoid paying income tax.

She will table an amendment calling for the creation of the commission when the Finance Bill - which gives legal effect to the Budget - reaches committee stage tomorrow.

One of the most controversial schemes applies to stud fees in the racehorse breeding industry.

READ MORE

An amendment to the 2003 Finance Bill required those claiming tax exemption for stallion fees to declare their income from this year but the earnings will not be subject to tax.

Ms Burton is calling for stud-fee earnings from the past five years to be declared to stymie "any attempt to artificially deflate income".

She said a number of property-based reliefs and the rules on residency could also be reassessed by the commission.

"Since the last Commission reported [20 years ago] a whole new range of generally property-based tax reliefs have been introduced that have again enabled high earners to reduce their tax liability," Ms Burton said.