Cork firm owes €347k over tax settlement

A company that counts one of Cork’s best-known businessmen among its directors has been named as a tax defaulter by Revenue.

The Little Island-based property development company RS Railway Square Ltd — of which William Keary was named as one of its directors, along with David and Redmond O’Hanlon, when annual company returns were last filed in 2016 — owed almost €396,000 in tax, interest, and penalties for under-declaration of Vat.

Just under €347,000 of the settlement remained unpaid at the end of September, Revenue said.

Mr Keary is well-known for his business ventures such as car sales firm Keary’s, as well as his charity work with Chernobyl Children International.

Journalist Tom McGurk was among the highest- profile names on the latest tax defaulter list, with a bill of more than €76,000 in tax, interest and penalties for under-declaration of income tax.

Horse trainer James Leavey of Friarstown in Co Kildare settled for more than €2.2m in tax, interest and penalties after a Revenue investigation into the under-declaration of capital gains tax. The full amount remained unpaid at the end of September, according to Revenue.

The highest settlement reached with Revenue was from now-liquidated firm Westman Plant & Civils Ltd, formerly of Ballinasloe in Co Galway.

The plant and machinery dealer owes more than €3.2m for under-declaration of VAT after a Revenue enquiry case. The amount was unpaid at the end of September, Revenue said. There were 81 cases published with €17.43m in total settlements, Revenue said, three of which exceeded €1m.