Former lobbyist and jockey named as tax defaulters

Former lobbyist Frank Dunlop and retired jockey and trainer Charlie Swan are among 108 defaulters to be fined for failing to meet their tax obligations during the second quarter.

The latest defaulters list shows Mr Dunlop, a former government press secretary with an address at Rathbeggan, Dunboyne, Co Meath, made a settlement totalling €429,198 for underdeclaration of income tax and VAT.

Mr Swan, an ex-top National Hunt jockey of The Cobs, Modreeeny, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, made a settlement of €122,442, for underdeclaration of income tax and VAT, and for a case linked to Reveunue’s ongoing investigation into offshore assets and funds.

The latest lists shows settlements totalling €18.52 million were made during the second quarter. Of the 108 published cases, 51 were for amounts exceeding €100,000; of which eight exceeded €500,000, and three of which exceeded €1 million.

The list includes five medical consultants who made settlements as part of Revenue’s ongoing inquiry into the profession.

In the biggest settlement in the current list, Humphrey Onome Ugbawa, a medical doctor and company director with an address at 1 The Green, Ocean Links, Strandhill, Co Sligo paid €1.54 million to Revenue.

Other defaulters to have made settlements totalling over €1 million are Michael Raymond, a picture framing service provider from 47 Newpark Road, Hollypark, Blackrock, Co Dublin, who paid back €1.16 million, and Raymond Samuel Martin of Bellinter, Navan, a confectionary and ice cream vendor, who paid back €1.02 million.

Among the other big payers to settle with Revenue were auctioner Maurice Ahern, from Main Street, Middleton, Co Cork, who made a settlement of €952,606 for underdeclaration of income tax and VAT.

Others to appear on the latest defaulters list include company directors, publicans, farmers, property developers and restaurateurs.

Approximately four of the 108 settlements published, yielding €600,000 relate to Revenue’s ongoing investigation into offshore assets and funds. In addition to the settlement from Mr Swan, Revenue also received payments from Thomas Patrick Coughlan, a retired panel beater from Ballycarney, Ferns, Co Wexford; Brendan Harty, a retired company director from Ballyheigue, Co Kerry; and from Michael Horgan, a company director with an address at Knocknamuck, Mitchelstown, Co Cork.

The published settlements reflect a portion only of all Revenue audits and investigations concluded during the quarter. A total of 1,718 audit and investigations together with 22,305 risk management interventions were settled during the three-months under review, resulting in yield of €186 million.