FF councillor in top five on Revenue’s settlement list
Cork county councillor Daniel Fleming — listed as an auctioneer, with an address in Blarney — had the fifth-largest settlement, totalling €778,416.
Of that figure, €515,351 was a tax payment, with the remaining €263,065 comprising interest and penalty payments.
Mr Fleming, who could not be contacted yesterday, was cited for under-declaration of income tax and VAT and listed as a revenue audit case.
Fianna Fáil leader on Cork County Council, Cllr Alan Coleman, last night said Mr Fleming’s tax matters were a “personal matter” but admitted he was “disappointed that a colleague found himself in such a situation”.
Pressed on whether Fianna Fáil should take action against Mr Fleming, Mr Coleman said: “It is a matter for the party member himself and for the Fianna Fáil hierarchy.”
Labour leader on Cork County Council, Paula Desmond, was more forthright, describing his actions as “unacceptable”.
“And it is particularly unacceptable for an elected politician in the present economic climate to be failing to pay their taxes. This country needs every penny it can lawfully raise to help protect its citizens from cuts,” she said.
Meanwhile, champion horse trainer and jockey Christy Roche — who is based near the Curragh in Co Kildare — settled for €165,468, €94,974 of which was made up of interest and penalty payments. As well as an under-declaration of income tax, Revenue classed Mr Roche as one of its offshore assets investigation cases.
Roche was one of Ireland’s leading jockeys and enjoyed a 30-year career which included three Irish Derby victories. In recent years, he was a successful trainer for high-profile owners such as JP McManus.
Mullingar Travel Ltd made the biggest settlement, at €1.93 million, after under-declaring corporation tax. Revenue also classed it as an offshore assets investigation case. Interest and penalties made up nearly €1.3m of the company’s settlement.
Another notable inclusion on the latest list is the National Housebuilding Guarantee Company — the provider of HomeBond structural insurance cover for new homes — which made a settlement of €97,387.
In total, the last quarter, from the beginning of July to the end of September, showed 84 settlements, amounting to a combined value of €18.95m.
