An unusual interpretation of ‘living simply’

When he admitted to having under-declared tax this week, Mick Wallace tried to present himself as an ordinary man.

“I lived simply. I never went crazy or flew around the place in a helicopter.”

His definition of living simply, however, will be very different to that of those on the average industrial wage, out of work, or struggling to get by on welfare. This is a man who, when his construction business was booming, bought his own vineyard in Italy to supply the café bars and restaurants he was opening in Ireland. He had apartments in France and Italy. He travelled regularly to the latter to watch football matches.

The explosion of that business has left Wallace’s company with debts left, right and centre. But he is scheduled to travel to the European championships in Poland, which got under way last night. And he still earns a TD’s salary of €92,000 a year.

Some may think he continues to live very well, rather than simply.

There may be those in the business community who have a measure of sympathy. Small business owners, in particular, will know of the difficulties in meeting creditor and tax bills in difficult times.

Many of them would have their own stories of jugging debts amid cash-flow problems.

But despite those problems, most small business owners don’t lie to Revenue or falsify their tax returns. What is even more astonishing about Wallace’s case is that, after knowingly under- declaring his tax, he ran for the Dáil — on a platform of honesty.

He argued it was time for a new politics with none of the strokes of old.

But, as has now been demonstrated, he had pulled a stroke of his own by the time he was canvassing people’s support and assuring them he would be different.

In his election literature, he said ordinary people should not have to pay for the mistakes of the financial institutions.

Well, who has to pay for his mistakes?

It’s not Wallace himself, because his company had limited liability status, meaning he is not personally on the hook for the €2.1m owed in tax and penalties. And the company is insolvent, meaning it will not pay either. In other words, the shortfall is left with the State, the taxpayer, the ordinary person.

Earlier this year, Wallace rose to his feet in the Dáil to respond to the report of the Mahon Tribunal.

“A serious lack of trust in politicians has developed among the people over the years. Unkept promises by governments do not help matters,” he said.

Sadly, Mick Wallace has done nothing to address that trust deficit. He has only increased it.