Ex-boutique owner tops Revenue tax defaulter list – owing more than €3m

A FORMER boutique owner has topped the latest Revenue tax defaulter list, owing more than €3m.

A total of 58 cases were settled in the three months to the end of June, yielding just over €11m in tax, interest and penalties for Revenue.

Among the defaulters are farmers, property developers, publicans, builders, a solicitor, a doctor, an undertaker and a wreath-maker.

The biggest single settlement involved boutique owner Nora Filtness, of Millcastle, Castlepollard, Co Westmeath.

Following an audit, she was found to have under-declared income tax and VAT to the tune of €1,061,427. However, with interest and penalties the final sum she owes is €3,186,753.

She was listed as the former proprietor of the Clara Ellen boutique. Revenue said that, as of the end of June, the full amount of the settlement remained unpaid.

The second largest settlement of €633,827 was made by painting contractor Edward Galvin, of Shannonlee, Model Farm Road, Cork. Following an offshore assets investigation and audit, he was found to have under-declared income tax and VAT by €260,287. With interest and penalties, the final sum he owed was €633,827.

Meanwhile, builder and property developer Martin Downes, of Kiltycreighton, Boyle, Co Roscommon, was listed as owing €520,917 including tax, interest and penalties.

An audit found he had failed to declare VAT and had underdeclared relevant contracts tax and PAYE, PRSI and USC. As of the end of June, the entire amount was still owing to Revenue.

The next largest settlement involved KC Tyre Centre with an address at Quinlan Street, Limerick, and which is in voluntary liquidation.

It was found to owe just over €285,000 in under-declared PAYE, PRSI, USC, VAT and corporation tax, but with interest and penalties the final sum was just over €515,000.

As of the end of June, almost €310,000 was still outstanding.

Of the cases published yesterday, 27 were for amounts exceeding €100,000, of which four exceeded €500,000.

Some 19 were cases in which the settlement was not fully paid by the end of June, and more than €5.6m was still owed to Revenue as of that date.

Revenue said it “vigorously pursues” collection and enforcement of unpaid settlements. However, it concedes, in some cases collection of the full unpaid amount will not be possible, for example in cases where companies are in liquidation.

In the three-month period to the end of June, a total of 1,387 audits and investigations, together with 23,877 risk management interventions, were settled by Revenue officials. These resulted in a yield of €115.13m in tax, interest and penalties.

Meanwhile, 227 cases of court-imposed fines, penalties and prison sentences for tax and duty offences were also listed. These fines totalled €609,860.

There were 52 cases of misuse of marked mineral oil, with fines ranging from €1,250 to €5,000, and 13 cases of cigarette smuggling, with fines of up to €3,000 and two suspended sentences.