Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 3 December 2015

Public Accounts Committee

2014 Annual Report and Appropriation Accounts of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance
Chapter 1 - Exchequer Financial Outturn for 2014
Chapter 2 - Government Debt
Chapter 3 - Cost of Bank Stabilisation Measures as at the end of 2014
Finance Accounts 2014

10:00 am

Mr. John McCarthy:

No. I sincerely doubt it, Deputy. I am not a corporation tax expert but I understand the situation is - I am subject to correction on this - that we have a lower tax regime than other countries but we have double taxation agreements with other countries, and I am not talking about the US here. This is about keeping funds offshore, from a US perspective. So because we have these double taxation agreements I do not think there is scope for any "loot", to use your own phrase Deputy. Certainly, it is not significant. That is my own understanding of this but I say that without being an expert in CT law.