Dunnes paid #1bn tax over 10-year period

The Dunnes Stores group made tax payments approaching £1 billion in the 10-year period up to 1996, the tribunal heard.

The money would have been paid in taxes, customs and excise, according to a letter from the Revenue Commissioners shown to the tribunal. The letter was written to the 1997 McCracken (Dunnes Payments) tribunal and was shown yesterday.

Mr Cathal MacDomhnaill, chairman of the Revenue Commissioners from 1990 to 1998, was asked by Mr John Coughlan SC, for the tribunal, about Mr MacDomhnaill's dealings with the McCracken tribunal in 1997.

He said there was a search through the Revenue files but notes that mentioned meetings between former Revenue chairman Séamus Paircéir and Ben Dunne, were not noticed. The meetings originated from a request from the then taoiseach, Charles Haughey. He said that when he asked Mr Paircéir, who was then retired, if he had received any submissions or representations from politicians on behalf of Dunnes, he wasn't told of the request to meet Mr Dunne.

He was told by another former chairman, Philip Curran, that he had been asked in 1988 by Mr Haughey to meet Mr Dunne. The meeting occurred but nothing arose from it.

Mr MacDomhnaill did not report this to the tribunal as he felt being asked to see somebody but not being asked to make any changes affecting tax, did not fall into the scope of the request made by the McCracken tribunal.

Mr Justice Moriarty said that in the tribunal's dealings with the Revenue he had "unfailingly found them to be courteous, prompt and professional".

The tribunal resumes hearings today.