The founder and driving force behind the Pamela Scott women's fashion chain has made a tax settlement for €6.41 million with the Revenue, according to the latest list of defaulters from the tax authority.
Businessman Seán Barron paid almost €5 million in interest and penalties to settle a €1.42 million liability for underdeclared income tax and value added tax. The payment from the main figure in one of the last family-owned fashion chains in Ireland was the biggest of settlements made public yesterday by the Revenue. Mr Barron's company, Flairline Fashions, owns Pamela Scott and other fashion brands such as Richard Alan and Escada.
Revenue's statement yesterday indicates he made his settlement in a personal capacity. Among the best-known retailers in domestic fashion and a co-founder of the Riverview leisure club in Dublin, he did not return a call yesterday from The Irish Times.
The exchequer realised €35.44 million from 131 published settlements in the three months to December. The addition of settlements that do not yet fall to be published brought the yield from Revenue's audit and investigation programme in that period to €158.55 million. The overall yield for 2006 was almost €586 million.
Another five settlements exceeded €1 million. The second-highest settlement in the period was €3 million from Patrick Maughan, a retired veterinary surgeon in Crossmolina, Co Mayo.
Retired farmer John McCreesh from Blackrock, Co Louth, paid €2.85 million. Retired engineer Desmond Green, now based in Portugal, paid €1.35 million.
A settlement of €1.02 million was received from retired newsagent Manus Gallagher, from Rathmines in Dublin. A sum of €1.4 million was received from the estate of the late Frederick O'Donoghue, a caravan sale and hire agent who lived in Killarney, Co Kerry.
Revenue said it received 40 settlements worth €14.94 million in respect of money held in bogus non-resident accounts. It received €6.03 million from 22 settlements arising from its investigation into offshore funds, and received €5.23 million from 30 settlements related to the investigation into single premium insurance products. The authority said 63 of the published settlements were for amounts exceeding €100,000 and 14 exceeded €500,000.
