Farmers with second job targeted by Revenue
She told the Oireachtas Committee of Public Accounts that they have been auditing a number of cases in the freight transport by road, letting of property, “mixed farming”, and the security sectors since 2009.
“Different regions are taking a sector each and they will audit a number of cases and we will see what lessons can be learned, not just from the results of the audit, but we are asking them to document the behaviours they observed that led to the yield, if there is a yield. Those sectors would have been considered by our regions to be risky, based on their experience of conducting sectoral projects,” she told the Committee during a debate on Revenue’s computerised risk evaluation and profiling system, REAP, which is used to target cases for audit.
Asked if there is a good exchange of information between Revenue and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on the €2.361 billion paid out per year, Ms Feehily said, “We get information on subsidies and grants. Our relationship with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food across all our programmes is very good. In fact, one of my colleagues is on its audit committee. That is how good the relationship is and I have no reason to think it would not be otherwise.”
Comptroller and Auditor General John Buckley said that the main feature of Revenue’s performance in 2008 was a reduction of 14% in the net revenue collected in the year. “This came in at €40.9 billion and the decline continued into 2009. The cause of the reduction is primarily related to the economic downturn, and Revenue has pointed out that it operated in 2008 in a setting where sales and profits were declining in most sectors.
“The sectors where the reduction was most marked include agriculture, construction, real estate and financial intermediation,” said Mr Buckley.
