Retired priest and consultant on list of tax defaulters
A RETIRED priest and medical consultant are among those who made big settlements with the taxman, according to the latest list of Revenue defaulters.
Retired consultant Valerie Donnelly, of Crosstown, Wexford town, made a settlement worth more than €1m in relation to undeclared income tax following an audit. She faced a massive €1.86m bill.
It was made up of €1.1m in tax, almost €384,000 in interest and €341,872 in penalties, according to the latest settlements list, which is published every three months.
By March 31 last, €1.8m of the bill was still unpaid.
Retired priest James Larkin, with an address at the Priest’s House, Monamolin, Gorey, reached a settlement worth €39,069 due to undeclared income tax.
This was made up of more than €24,000 in tax, €6,926 in interest, and more than €7,400 in penalties. He had paid the full amount by the end of March.
Insurance agent and holiday home lessor Fergal Gaughran, of The Rise, Mount Merrion, settled for more than €39,000 due to under declaration of income tax following a Revenue investigation of offshore assets.
The Irish Independent previously reported that the property tycoon agreed to reconstruct a €3m dormer bungalow at that address in 2006 after it was demolished without formal planning permission.
Mr Gaughran and his wife consented in the Circuit Civil Court to fully reconstruct Number 1, The Rise, to its condition prior to the unauthorised demolition.
Meanwhile, furniture retailer Michael Thorpe, of Corah, Tombrack, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, settled for €480,308 in tax, interest and penalties.
Upholsterer Patrick Higgins of Unit 20, Rockgrove Industrial Estate, Glounthaune, Co Cork, settled for just over €298,000.
In the courts, the White Sands Hotel, in Portmarnock, Dublin, was fined more than €482,000 for under declaring over €1.2m in tax and VAT.
The Revenue Commissioners made 61 settlements worth €9.4m in the first three months of the year. However, €4.2m was still owed on March 31.
Of the 61 settlements, 24 were for amounts over €100,000.