Thomas Murphy did not pay tax for nine years, court hears

The trial at the Special Criminal Court of the prominent republican Thomas "Slab" Murphy for alleged tax evasion has heard evidence from a Revenue Inspector that a man of the same name, with the same address, did not pay taxes for nine years.

Mr Murphy (66), of Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges alleging that he failed to furnish a return of his income, profits or gains or the source of his income, profits or gains to the Collector General or the Inspector of Taxes for the years 1996/97 to 2004.

Mr Murphy is being prosecuted on foot of an investigation by the Criminal Assets Bureau.

It is the prosecution’s case that, although Mr Murphy conducted significant dealings in relation to cattle and land, and received farming grants from the Department of Agriculture, he failed to make any returns to Revenue.

The Revenue Inspector’s evidence was heard last week, during legal argument, after which Mr Murphy’s defence lawyers raised objections about the evidence’s admissibility.

On Wednesday, Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding at the three-judge, non-jury court, ruled that the evidence was admissible.

The Revenue Inspector, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Paul Burns SC, prosecuting, that, in October 2005, he was instructed to carry out an investigation into the tax affairs of Thomas Murphy.

The court heard that he examined various documents including bank account details, invoices from cattle marts, copies of issue cheques of Department of Agriculture grants, EU Area Aid application forms, statements from employees of cattle marts, and documents seized by CAB from Thomas Murphy’s and his family’s homes.

The Revenue Inspector said his conclusion was that Thomas Murphy was involved in the farming business and that, from 1996-2004, he did not file any tax returns.

He further stated that he was satisfied that “based on documentary evidence that he [Thomas Murphy] was a chargeable person and that he should have furnished returns.”

The trial continues.