Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The point is that the Revenue Commissioners do not have to take proceedings against them at all. The person comes to them and owns up. What is due now is 100% interest and 100% surcharge, but the Minister is saying today that the 100% surcharge is gone and 20% of the interest due is also gone for people involved in deliberate tax avoidance measures. That is not the way to deal with this. It may be costly and these people may be very wealthy and may challenge the Revenue Commissioners in the courts, but the Revenue Commissioners have issued 500 court notices against people who did not pay their household charge or their property tax. Constituents from outside the State come to me weekly who were not aware of the non-principal private residence charge and face a charge of more than €7,000. They ask what leeway or negotiation there is for them. I have to say there is none but I can tell them that under the Finance Bill 2014, if they were involved in a tax avoidance transaction and put their hands up before 30 June 2015, their surcharge and 20% of the interest would be wiped off. That is the way the Government is prioritising matters.