Revenue defends level of inspection on US shoppers

THE Revenue Commissioners have defended the low level of customs inspections on Irish shoppers arriving from the US during the pre-Christmas period after it emerged less than 2% of passengers exceeded the duty limit.

However, the Dáil Public Accounts Committee heard yesterday that an average of just 10 passengers from each transatlantic flight arriving in Ireland between October and December were stopped and searched. Most aircraft on such routes carry more than 400 passengers.

Revenue chairman Frank Daly explained that Customs’ efforts were focused on the greater financial and societal threats posed by drugs and tobacco smuggling than people importing goods worth in excess of their personal limit of €175. However, he acknowledged that the phenomenon of thousands of Irish people travelling to the US for pre-Christmas shopping had arisen in the past few years.