Defaulters in £4.25m tax settlements

A building company based in Naas, Co Kildare, which made a £1 million (€1.27 million) payment, and a company director from Dublin who paid just under £500,000, are two of the settlements included in the latest list of tax defaulters published in Iris Oifigiuil.

The list, of 60 settlements totalling £4.25 million, is the first to include details of the circumstances surrounding the settlements listed, as provided for in the Finance Act 2000.

Six settlements noted as arising from the Revenue's investigation into National Irish Bank are included, involving more than £700,000. By far the largest settlement in this category is one for £458,217, by Mr John Aherne, a company director of Lispopple, Swords, Co Dublin. The settlement is in relation to undeclared income tax of £224,282 and interest and penalties of £233,935.

Mr Aherne, who was not available for comment yesterday, is a director of a number of companies based in the Glen Industrial Estate, Broombridge Road, Dublin 11, including Sovereign Engineering Ltd.

This company is listed as having made a settlement of £306,000 arising from the underdeclaration of corporation tax and VAT.

The list is for settlements in excess of £10,000 between April 1st, 2000, and June 30th, 2000. The Revenue, in its annual report for 1999, said 195 of the 429 individuals being investigated as part of its NIB inquiry, had made settlements totalling £16.6 million. It is likely that up to 200 further settlements will be made over the coming year.

The other NIB settlements are: Mr Laurence Butler, a retailer from Quay Street, Dundalk, Co Louth: the late Mr Noel Hamrock, a farmer, publican and undertaker from Brideswell, Athlone, Co Roscommon; Mr Padraig Kennedy, a farmer from Drumullin, Elphin, Co Roscommon; Mr Patrick McPadden, a farmer from Drumkeerin, Co Leitrim; and Mr Sydney Martin, a landlord from Main Street, Bailieboro, Co Cavan. Mr Martin's settlement was for £119,116.

By far the largest settlement on the list is one for £1.046 million made by Thoval Properties Ltd, of Kilmeague, Naas, Co Kildare. The settlement is described as arising from the underdeclaration of corporation tax. The directors of the company are Mr Patrick Leeson, of Prosperous, Co Kildare, and Mr Thomas Leeson, of Naas, Co Kildare. Other large settlements listed include one for £200,250 by EJ King Bar Ltd, of The Square, Clifden, Co Galway, which resulted from the underdeclaration of corporation tax and VAT.

McArdle Transport Ltd, of Inniskeen, Co Monaghan, made a settlement of £171,720, and building company Springwood Ltd, of Straffan, Co Kildare, settled for £136,524. Auctioneer Mr John Keane, of Custom House Quay, Wexford, made a settlement of £129,485 arising out of the underdeclaration of income tax, VAT and PAYE, and The Huntsman Inn Ltd, of Gormanston, Co Meath, made a settlement of £119,467.

The Dublin-based computer training company, Jefferson Computer Ltd, of Jefferson House, Eglinton Road, Donnybrook, Dublin, made a settlement of £100,656 arising from the under declaration of VAT. The company was formerly a part of the Smurfit group but was the subject of a MBO some years ago.