Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Cody and his team for the presentation and for being here today. This morning, the Tax Appeals Commission, TAC, appeared before us, and to say that we were shocked by some of the things it said to us is putting it mildly. It said there is no external phone system, that nobody can ring out or ring in, and that the computers of directors have blown up. It reminded me of Manuel from "Fawlty Towers". However, as the Chairman pointed out this morning, this is serious business, not just for those who are collecting tax but for the wider public and society. Every time the witness appears before us, I state that we rely on tax revenue when we debate issues in both Houses every week, such as schools, hospitals and roads. The witness knows this better than anyone; it is reflected in his remarks.

This morning, Mr. O'Mahony from the TAC said that he felt he was being stymied. He also repeated the words of another person when he said that the TAC was being used as a back office by the Revenue. Is that a fair comment? Is there any truth to it? Is it fair to say that the TAC did not create the backlog but rather inherited it from the Revenue?