Head of Revenue backs property tax
Revenue chairwoman Josephine Feehily also argued that the system of personal taxation in Ireland is “one of the most progressive in the world”.
Speaking at the MacGill summer school in Donegal, she said that the top 22% of tax cases pay 82% of the income tax and that consumption taxes were fairer than income taxes because people had choices about how to spend their money.
Asked whether the property tax was fair, she said: “I think it was. It also ticked an equality box because its scope was wide.”
Ms Feehily said Revenue would be introducing a new code of practice later this year setting out how Revenue engage with the PAYE sector.
She said: “We believe we are not being fair to the compliant taxpayer if we allow others to freeload. Neither are we being fair to the Government or to the people of this country who depend on the revenues for schools and hospitals.
“And so our approach is to be reasonable at the level of the individual but not to lose sight of the need to be fair to all taxpayers and to the community as a whole.”
Meanwhile, Amnesty International director Colm O’Gorman called for health, education, and housing rights to be enshrined in the Constitution.
Such actions would make the Government more accountable, he argued.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said that a united Ireland with a total 6.4m citizens would be stronger economically.
He said: “If unionists saw a real commitment to equality by the Dublin Government this would have a real and positive effect on those unionists who want to live in harmony with their neighbours.”
Mr Adams defended his party’s decision to support the Government’s October referendum to abolish the Seanad. “Only 1% of citizens have a vote in Seanad elections while others have multiple votes. That is why Sinn Féin will not support a proposal to retain the present Seanad. We will campaign for its abolition.”
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