Leading doctors on tax defaulters’ list

A Belfast-based company linked to the former head of the Rotunda Hospital, in Dublin, Sam

Coulter-Smith, is one of a number of medical practices named in the current Revenue’s defaulters’ list.

The Revenue is clamping down on some businesses and self-employed groups, including builders and doctors, through targeted audits designed to boost compliance in these sectors.

Its defaulters’ list for the first three months of this year shows that Belfast-registered Murphy O’Connor Medical Ltd paid €119,336 for under-declaration of income tax and social insurance.

Director of company

Mr Coulter Smith, who recently retired as master of the Rotunda in Dublin, is a director of the company,which gives its address as University Street, Belfast.

The settlement was made up of €77,940 in tax, €18,014 in interest and €23,382 in penalties and was made following a Revenue audit.

The same University Street address was used by another doctor, Christine Jennings, a radiologist with high-profile private hospital the Blackrock Clinic, who is listed as having made two settlements with the Revenue, for €432,355 and €51,132.

The smaller of the two was made under the Belfast address, while her Dublin address, Corrybeg House in Templeogue, was given for the bigger payment. Both were included for underdeclaring income tax and social insurance and resulted from Revenue audits. The University Street address used by Dr Jennings and Mr Coulter Smith is home to a company formations business called Holdfast, which provides off-the-shelf companies to clients.

It is understood that a number of years ago, doctors and consultants began to use limited companies for their businesses on the advice of their accountants. However, Revenue has toughened its stance towards this since it broadened its compliance programme to target the medical profession.

Two doctors working at the Galway Clinic also made substantial settlements for underdeclared income tax and social insurance. Dr Denis Quill paid a total of €428,451, while Dr Oliver McAnena paid €359,482.

Medical consultants Patrick Treacy of Sweepstakes in Dublin paid €137,897 and Connail McCrory of Bray Road, Foxrock, paid €54,920. Last year, 97 revenue audits of doctors netted a total of €7.8 million.

A number of unusual settlements also feature in the current list. Cliona Wood, a private investigator from Milltown in Dublin, paid €215,673 for under-declared income tax and VAT. In 2015, Revenue's yield from its audit and compliance interventions grew by 5.3 per cent to €642.5 million.

Apology: William Bird/ January 20^th, 2019

On June 8^th 2016, we published an article entitled “Leading doctors on tax defaulters list” and inadvertently referred to William Bird.

We wish to clarify that this reference was erroneous and we accept that Mr Bird should not have been referenced in this article.

We accept that neither Mr Bird nor any company connected to him is a tax defaulter. We wish to apologise to Mr Bird for the upset caused to him.

• This article was edited on June 27th, 2016