Ireland’s horse racing authority has pledged to drive racecourse attendances to 1.5m a year by 2024.

Revenue officers have seized machinery and materials associated with illicit cigarette manufacturing following a search.

Niall Quinn has called for Irish sporting bodies to present a united front in the quest for increased government funding after Basketball Ireland called foul on the rescue package for the FAI.

A GOVERNMENT department has defended paying €2.75m for an airport on the Aran Islands that had been valued at €600,000 in an independent report they commissioned.

Revenue this morning published preliminary results for 2019 showing they collected total net receipts of €73.9 billion.

The then minister for tourism and transport, John Wilson, vehemently opposed a Cork Swansea Ferries request for IR£1.75m state funding at the end of 1988.

Revenue officers discovered the cigarettes as part of routine profiling.

Government tax revenues were over €1.4bn ahead of target by the end of November.

Taking the scenic coastal route to a wedding in the west of Ireland last week, it was a joy to motor pleasantly along quiet country roads devoid of tourist buses and high season traffic.

The public is facing worse services and higher rates as seven local authorities are set to lose €18.4 million in their funding, The Dáil has heard.

Between 76,000 and 96,000 additional tourists are expected to visit Ireland in June next year as there are three group games and one round of 16 game played at the Aviva Stadium.

With assistance from Revenue detector dog Gus, officers carried out a search, under warrant, of a premises in Enniscorthy.

Research published by the Federation of Irish Sport in partnership with Investec has shown that for every €100 invested in sport by the Government, the Exchequer receives up to €195 in tax revenues.

New car registrations were up by 7.4% in September when compared to the same month last year.

The tobacco, weighing 1.4 tonnes, had a retail value of over €815,000, according to a Revenue spokesperson who said that it represented a loss to the Exchequer of approximately €721,000.

Tax is a tricky subject. At one level I get the concept that paying general tax helps our elected politicians to finance the services that most agree are key to civil society.

Revenue officers have seized approximately 584,000 unstamped cigarettes in Dublin Port.

As we move into the second half of the year, it is possible to look back on the first six months with a certain degree of positivity.

Members of Ireland's construction industry unions are protesting this morning against bogus self-employment.

The Criminal Assets Bureau has seen a growing trend of criminals using crypto-currencies to transfer ill-gotten assets and to facilitate international fraud.

Equal taxes should be applied to profits from an investment as to Dirt tax on a bank account, as it makes no sense to penalise people by charging them a higher tax rate for making a more prudent investment.

Revenue officers, along with the assistance of detector dog Robbie, discovered 25kgs of herbal cannabis in Dublin Port yesterday.

A judge has hit out at the failure of the State to provide a secure placement for a Co. Clare man declared insane.

The biggest contributor last year was the operator of Irish Water and Bord Gáis, Ervia, which paid out a dividend of €139m.

Revenue seized almost three million cigarettes worth €1.6 million during a search of a premises in Newhall, Co Kildare yesterday.

The Exchequer recorded a deficit of €966m in for the first three months of 2019.

A man who fraudulently claimed over €40,000 of Jobseeker's Allowance in his brother's name and was caught as a result of facial-imaging technology has received 200 hours of community service.

The motor industry provides a very good barometer for the overall economy, and particularly how business and consumers view the world, writes Jim Power.

Hoteliers have insisted the 9% Vat rate remains essential to the sector, despite room prices surpassing Celtic Tiger levels and the Exchequer missing out on an estimated €491m yearly from the tax incentive.

Exchequer figures, which show spending is growing faster than tax revenues, should give the Government cause for concern, say analysts.

Cash, beer and cigarettes have been seized in two separate Revenue searches yesterday.

Alcohol and cigarettes worth almost €7,000 have been seized at two locations over the weekend.

The behaviour of St John of God (SJOG) in paying hundreds of thousands in secret salary top-ups and lump sum compensation to senior managers to circumvent public pay policy has raised “fundamental issues of trust” with its funder, the HSE.

The Rural and Community Development Minister says he believes the new National Development Plan will promote jobs in rural communities.

Diminishing incentives and charging infrastructure problems are among the latest obstacles to electric car ownership

Bertie Ahern sought to reverse a decision of the previous government to sell the former CIE group of hotels. This was within months of his taking office in his first ministerial appointment.