Major effort vital to bring cheats to heel

THE public's concern that consequences will follow upon the Ansbacher revelations, would be assuaged if there were a serious strengthening of Revenue Commissioners personnel to bring about results.

Currently, there are just eight inspectors of the Revenue Commissioners to investigate those deemed to have flouted the country’s tax laws and evaded them with considerable benefit to themselves.

They are augmented by a back-up staff of 22, as well as some input from the 37 staff at the disposal of the Director of Corporate Enforcement.

By stark contrast, the Department of Social Welfare has available to it a staff of 600 to investigate social welfare fraud. It is also a fact that those who have seen the inside of a prison for social welfare fraud outnumber those for tax evasion considerably.

It would help public confidence as well, if Government ministers were singing from the same hymn sheet insofar as possible prosecution is concerned of those named in Ansbacher and who have a case to answer.

The clashes between Tánaiste Mary Harney and Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy as to the culpability or otherwise of State agencies in not preventing the scandal from occurring, is rather fruitless at this stage.