The Labour Party today called on the Revenue Commissioners to state publicly whether the claims made by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in relation to his dealings with the tax authority are accurate.
Labour and Fine Gael repeated their concerns about Mr Ahern's tax position, with Labour claiming his statements appear to be "in conflict" with a letter from the Revenue to the Taoiseach's tax advisers.
The Labour Party's finance spokeswoman Joan Burton said she fully understood the reluctance of the Revenue to comment on the tax status of any particular individual.
Labour Party deputy leader Joan Burton
"However, given the seriousness of the issues involved here I believe that it would be the public and democratic interest for the Revenue Commissioners to state whether or not the claims made by Mr Ahern in regard to the positions it has adopted are accurate."
Mr Ahern indicated yesterday that the Revenue Commissioners had told him it could not conclude its examination of his tax issues until the Mahon tribunal has finished its own inquiries.
"Mr Ahern's claim yesterday that the letter from his tax adviser had been accepted by the Revenue Commissioners as 'voluntary disclosure' is in direct conflict with the letter of November 10th 2006 ... of the Revenue (quoted in the Irish Mail on Sundayof December 30th)," Ms Burton said.
She said that letter indicated the Revenue was not accepting Mr Ahern had made a voluntary disclosure in relation to his tax affairs.
"Indeed it would seem an unusual step for the Revenue to regard the letter as a voluntary disclosure, as the letter from Mr Ahern's tax adviser was only submitted in response to a series of detailed questions submitted by the Revenue arising from serious concerns they had about claims made by Mr Ahern in a series of interviews and statements to the Dáil in the autumn of 2006," Ms Burton added.
"The fact that a request was made to Revenue to have this reply treated as a voluntary disclosure can only be read as an indication that Mr Ahern or somebody asking on his behalf had apprehensions that he was not in fact fully tax compliant."
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny repeated his assertion of last week that Mr Ahern, if he were indeed tax compliant, would be in a position to produce a tax clearance certificate.
Speaking in Dublin as he marked the publication of a Fine Gael private members' bill, Mr Kenny said: "Hundreds of thousands of self-employed people cannot draw down grants, cannot continue to work, cannot get new employment without a tax clearance certificate.
"The position is...that you have the leader of Government, who for a variety of reasons cannot produce a tax clearance certificate."
Asked if he was satisfied that all elected members of his own party would be in a position to produce tax clearance certificates to the Standards in Public Office Commission by next month's deadline, Mr Kenny added: "That's the deadline. I would assume that every deputy from every political party, with the exception of one that we know of, will be in a position to that."