DONEGAL COUNTY Council has made a tax settlement after an audit by the Revenue Commissioners found it had under-declared PAYE and PRSI by €547,775.
The council made an overall settlement of €799,928, including penalties and interest of €252,153.
There was no comment available from the council management when it was contacted yesterday. The county’s mayor, Brendan Byrne, could not be contacted.
In December 2005 Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council made a settlement of of €39,647 arising from an under-declaration of VAT.
It was the second VAT settlement that year from a public body, the other being a payment of €106,386 from South Dublin County Council.
The latest edition of Iris Oifigiúil includes a list of 88 tax defaulters who made settlements totalling €16.43 million. The list includes four settlements for more than €1 million each.
The largest settlement was from a Castleknock, Dublin, company director, who paid €1.78 million arising from underdeclared income tax. The settlement by Oliver Scott of MLH Holdings came after a Revenue offshore assets investigation.
Murrays Rent-a-Car Ltd, which last year went into examinership for a period, made a settlement of €1.56 million arising from the under-declaration of VAT.
John Fortune Ltd, a restaurant operator owned by John and Moira Fortune of Harbour House, Church Lane, Wexford, made a €1.38 million settlement. The payment arose following a Revenue offshore assets inquiry.
Former company director Tadhg Feeney of Jerpoint West, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, made a €1.28 million settlement arising from the under-declaration of income tax.
In January, Feeney was sentenced to two years in prison arising from a number of revenue offences. The sentence was suspended, although the defendant had already served time in prison on remand.
Donal Óg Cusack, the Cork hurling goalkeeper, had to pay a €1,250 fine for the non-filing of VAT returns. Cusack is a publican and off-licence operator.
Hairy Lemon Ltd, the company behind the eponymous public house on Lower Stephen’s Street, Dublin, made a settlement of €260,000 arising from the underdeclaration of VAT. The company is owned by Edward O’Donohue, St Margarets, Donnybrook, Dublin, and Peter Hanahoe, Sandymount Avenue, Sandymount, Dublin. A Clonmel, Co Tipperary auctioneers, valuers and livestock sales agent, Stokes Quirke Ltd, made a €395,732 settlement arising from the under-declaration of PAYE and PRSI.
A director of the company, Edward Stokes, made a settlement of €662,584 arising from the under-declaration of income tax.
In the case of the company the amount of tax owed was €81,427, with the rest of the settlement being interest and penalties. In the case of Mr Stokes the tax owed was €275,702.
Farmer Jeremiah C O’Sullivan, of Snave, Ballylickey, Bantry, Co Cork, made a settlement of €657,176 arising from a bogus non-resident accounts and offshore assets inquiry. Restaurateur Thongjan Latham, of Patrick Street, Cork, made a €420,000 settlement arising from an audit. He was one of a number of restaurateurs who appeared on the list.
Company director John Kavanagh, of Island Upper, Craanford, Gorey, Co Wexford, made a €353,210 settlement arising from a Revenue audit. Mr Kavanagh is a director of Johndavid Developments Ltd, Gorey.