Ms Kate Levey:

Our large cases division was set up specifically so that manpower could be directed at the companies that pay the largest proportions of tax receipts. There are detailed reviews of how those companies are complying with tax law. In practice, the largest companies have armies of accountants and lawyers who prepare those companies' tax returns in accordance with the law. We often look at how they use the law, the extent to which they might avail of loopholes in the law and where legislative amendments might be required. The short version of what I am trying to say is that Revenue's risk-based approach to audit deals with large companies in exactly the same way as smaller companies.