Wexford GAA make voluntary disclosure of €55,000 following Revenue audit

A general view of Innovate Wexford Park. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Wexford GAA have made a voluntary disclosure of €55,000 following a Revenue audit of their finances for the years 2018 and 2019.

Wexford is one of a growing number of counties currently subject to a wide-scoping risk review by the Revenue Commissioners, with outgoing Wexford county board chairman Micheál Martin disclosing the “not insignificant” sum at Monday’s convention.

Wexford’s voluntary disclosure came to light on the same evening as Galway GAA officers notified clubs that they would not be signing the end of year accounts ahead of next week’s county convention in light of their own recently instigated risk review by Revenue.

That executive committee decision not to sign the Galway accounts, which has been supported by independent auditors DBS, is due to an inability to accurately assess any potential liabilities arising from the on-going risk review.

The liabilities arising from the Revenue review into certain areas of Wexford finances from 2018 and 2019 was, Martin told club delegates, “reasonably small”.

“The vast majority of the findings in our audit were very positive. Our payment to referees is in line with what was agreed with Revenue back in 2016/17. So we found that our liability is reasonably small. It is not an insignificant sum, but it was reasonably small.”

In their 2024 accounts, under team administration costs, Wexford have made provision for that €55,000 tax payment.

The Wexford sum is notably less than the €119,778 that Mayo outlined in their 2023 accounts as having been paid to the Revenue Commissioners. Mayo’s voluntary disclosure dealt primarily with the payment of Cúl Camp wages from a number of years ago.

Each county’s payments to their respective Cúl Camp coaches and other casual workers is one area still being looked at by Revenue, as well as expenses for referees and inter-county players.

Martin, whose term as Wexford chair finished on Monday, told delegates at convention that if there is to be consistency, then the likelihood is all counties, potentially clubs too, and other sporting bodies would be subject to Revenue inspection for matters such as payments to referees.

This has the potential, he added, for a knock-on effect in terms of the ability to recruit referees at grassroots level.

Wexford have taken it upon themselves to look outside the scope of the years requested by Revenue and, thus far, are confident of their compliance in the relevant areas.

In his address to Tuesday’s Kerry convention, Kingdom chairman Patrick O’Sullivan said the Revenue findings in the counties currently being audited “may have a huge impact on the Association going forward”.

There was no mention by O'Sullivan of Kerry currently being subject to a Revenue audit, albeit he did remark that Kerry’s finance committee “will work with our auditors and Croke Park to see the best way to proceed”.

O’Sullivan’s comments come a day after Galway’s independent auditors, DBS, warned that the extended scope of this risk review could have significant impacts for the GAA nationally.

Elsewhere, the Waterford hurlers must plan without Jack Fagan and Colin Dunford for the 2025 season owing to travel commitments. New manager Peter Queally confirmed the unavailability of the pair to the Waterford News and Star.

Whereas Dunford endured an injury-plagued inter-county season, Fagan was used off the bench throughout the Munster round-robin.

Calum Lyons, one of Waterford’s two All-Star nominees this year, is currently in Australia, with Queally noting that the half-back remains undecided as to whether he will stay in Australia or return home for next year’s inter-county campaign.

Dessie Hutchinson, meanwhile, is the new Waterford captain.