Mr. Niall Cody:

Over the last years we have developed a full suite of appropriate interventions matched to risk. Everything we do is driven by risk and by our risk evaluation and profiling, REAP system, through which we are trying to identify a specific risk and the appropriate intervention. Obviously, a full-scale audit or investigation takes significant resources and time. The aspect query programme gives us coverage. We will select a type of risk and then write to the taxpayer giving the information that we have and asking for a comment. Depending on the outcome of the aspect query, the case can then be escalated to an audit if required.

The aspect query programme gives us coverage. The challenge we have is making sure we make the appropriate intervention having regard to the risk. The difference between an aspect query and an audit is that if one gets an aspect query, one still retains the right to make an unprompted voluntary disclosure. If there is a high risk and significant information that suggests there is tax evasion, it would not be appropriate that we would have an aspect query. It would be appropriate that that would be taken for a higher intervention.