Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 9 May 2024

Public Accounts Committee

Financial Statements 2022: University of Limerick

9:00 am

Mr. John Kelly:

Certainly. I think the issue – obviously, there is a financial element to this – is that the university is a registered charity, and registered charities are exempt for the purposes of stamp duty. However, there was an amendment to the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act that brought into scope purchases of ten properties or more. If a body were to buy ten or more properties, even if it was a registered charity, a stamp duty liability would attach to the purchase. I do not believe that was appreciated as the due diligence was going forward. It emerged subsequently, at a later point in respect of the contract.