Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 28 June 2018

Public Accounts Committee

2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 9 - Internal Controls in the Tax Appeals Commission
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission

9:00 am

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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I am drawing the parallel with social welfare. If a case goes to the appeals office and it is withdrawn at local level, it is no longer in the Tax Appeals Commission's system and not one of its live cases. There is probably a percentage of cases that came to the Tax Appeals Commission but were withdrawn and did not have to proceed. We are not looking for the withdrawn cases because the commission ultimately did not have to conclude on those. However, there may be a gap in the system in respect of the 700 cases. The Tax Appeals Commission makes a decision on certain details and then it is a matter for Revenue to calculate the figures. We need an understanding of what is happening here. We do not know if the cases with a total value of €1.6 billion will translate into €2 billion, €1 billion or €500 million for the Exchequer. We need to have some yardstick. I accept that Revenue will produce the figure. It is a bit like social welfare cases. I believe there is a gap in public understanding of what is happening if we do not have the headline figures of what went in under appeal and if the case was adjudicated what the success rate was. Does Mr. O'Mahony understand my question and where I am coming from?