Tax dodging former TD Foley pays out €580,000

FORMER Fianna Fáil TD Denis Foley was among 182 tax dodgers named and shamed yesterday.

The defaulters list showed that he made a €580,000 settlement with the Revenue Commissioners.

The former Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee chairman paid €186,646 in tax and €393,354 in interest and penalties in relation to an Ansbacher account.

When contacted at his Kerry home yesterday, Mr Foley said he did not wish to comment.

Murphy & Gunn Holdings Ltd, who sell BMW, Lexus and Toyota cars, based in Rathgar Avenue, Dublin 6, made the biggest settlement €5.23 million for undeclared VAT & PAYE/PRSI and a bogus non-resident account.

Murphy & Gunn director Thomas Murphy, 45, of 5 Greenfield Crescent, Donnybrook, Dublin 4, also made an independent settlement of €665,010 for under-declaration of income tax, capital acquisitions tax and for a bogus non-resident account. In a statement Murphy & Gunn said the company is now fully tax compliant.

In total, 182 tax dodgers were named and shamed yesterday.

They made combined settlements totalling €32.5m in the three-month period to December 31, 2004.

The list contained two other settlements for more that 1m. Cork businessman Finbarr Cogan, of Main Street, Carrigaline, made a €1.7m settlement for under-declaration of income tax, VAT and PAYE/PRSI and a bogus non-resident account.

Retired Kerry surgeon George Lyons, of Unacullen, Clahane, Ballyard, Tralee, made a settlement of €1.26m.

Among the more unusual settlements was Knock religious goods retailer Bernard Byrne, of Wingfield, who made a €72,124 settlement for under-declaration of income tax, corporation tax, VAT and having a bogus non-resident account.

Of the remaining 182 published settlements 63 were for amounts exceeding €100,000 and 14 exceeded €500,000. All tax dodgers who make settlements in excess €12,700 are published by the Revenue. However, the published names make up only a small portion of all Revenue audits and investigations.

The total yield from Revenue audit and investigation programmes in the three months to December 31 was €217.19m. Besides the 182 tax defaulters named, there were 505 settlements in excess of €12,700, which brought in €164.24m.

Labour Party finance spokesperson Joan Burton said the latest list showed how deep the culture of tax evasion had become.

"The figures once again confirm the scandal of tax evasion by some very wealthy people in our society," she added.

Dan Boyle of the Green Party demanded that Finance Minister Brian Cowen take action on foot of yesterday's settlement.