Results 8,121-8,140 of 32,643 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Departmental Strategies (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department promotes Action 16 of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 when implementing the Public Service ICT Strategy and also through implementation of the eGovernment Strategy 2017 – 2020, which states under the specific principle “Inclusiveness and accessibility” that “we will design digital public services that are inclusive by default...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Departmental Strategies (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: My Department actively engages with a range of stakeholders in the delivery of its objectives including representatives from the community and voluntary sector and from groups representing people with disabilities, and regularly reviews and refreshes its stakeholder engagement structures to ensure there is a broad level of engagement across sectors. An example of this is the National...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Chairman. I am pleased to bring before the committee two draft Government agreements giving force of law in Ireland to a new double taxation agreement with Kosovo and separately, a new protocol to the existing double taxation agreement with Germany. The new double taxation agreement with Kosovo was signed by ambassador O’Neill on behalf of Ireland and the acting head of...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I may invite the Revenue Commissioners to come in as Mr. Eamon O'Dea is with me to give a more technical answer to the Deputy's question if he so wishes. The change we are making with regard to the taxation of dividends refers to the minimum holding period. The change we are making is in line with the recommended best practice of the OECD in this area. If the Deputy would like a bit more...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: We can certainly do that.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: The commitments I have given are all consistent with Ireland's corporate tax roadmap which I published in January and which is publicly available. It refers to a number of areas. These include applying enhanced control foreign company rules to the list of non-co-operative jurisdictions, with effect from 1 January 2021. I am aiming to do this in the Finance Act 2020. I also committed to...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I am not sure how Deputy Doherty can derive the analysis of spectacularly failing in any way given that other finance ministers will make a decision regarding what is in the interests of their people and economies. That has what has happened with more than 130 countries. I can engage with them. If we are going to recognise that I have a prerogative here I also have to recognise that other...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: There will be an opportunity to form a view in October regarding where that process stands. If the Deputy is still where he is now at that point, he will be able to form a view on it as well when we get to October. Of course I am aware of the commentary about Ireland, as I have been for a number of years. I have always made the case that we have made far more positive and proactive change...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I assure the Deputy that we very much have our act together, to use his language, with regard to what we are doing. That is seen, for example, in the number of homes that are being built directly by local authorities, through the Government, throughout the country. Given the importance of laying out our budgetary framework, there is a great deal of engagement going on at the moment in...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for his questions. The measures we have brought forward aim to make progress against some of the issues he raised. In particular, on the issue of evasion or aggressive tax planning opportunities, there are two aims of the changes we are making that are relevant to his concern. The first is that double taxation agreements provide for the exchange of information between...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Deputy for his question. He is right in that I said there were other countries that had a similar view to Ireland on this issue but I did not say there was also a very large group of countries which share that view. I accept, and it is a matter of public record, that the majority of countries have indicated they will be part of the consensus. As to what that means for us, as I...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I am focused on making our case and considering the different scenarios open to me. If, on the other hand, I had indicated last week we would go into this agreement, a whole range of issues and concerns would have been created by that, for which I would be held to account as well. I must be aware of that in the context of decisions I make. In assessing where we are currently, it is...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: My recollection is the Revenue Commissioners regularly publish information in which they make available, on an anonymised basis, the effective tax rates available for groups of companies that are based in Ireland. I understand the last time they published this information they indicated our effective tax rate is just below the nominal tax rate of 12.5%. Publications from the Revenue...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: We are in the final phase of what has been a very good process in finalising the summer economic statement. There is debate and discussion but there is complete agreement on the need to make a higher level of funding available to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to deal with the many grave difficulties and challenges we have in housing. That is what I am doing. I am...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: All I am doing is trying to ensure we have the right level of spending in place to make progress on a vital issue for our society, economy and all I serve, which is building more homes, making that money available at the right point and in the right way, and given that this is money we will be borrowing, having a careful plan for how that borrowing will be managed. We will get agreement on...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I will deal with the first question raised. Of course we are going to do all we can to try to deliver a significant increase in the building of homes as quickly as we can. I do not need to tell Deputy Durkan about the step back we have taken in home construction due to the impact of Covid-19. This is why trying to open construction in Ireland safely is so important and that is what we are...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: It does not but I wish to set out one example to flag one benefit of doing this. Kosovo has double tax agreements with other countries. By virtue of our moving into an agreement with Kosovo, we get consistency versus what is happening with other countries that have double tax agreements with Kosovo. The overall competitiveness benefits are negligible, if any. We are doing this for other...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Double Taxation Agreements: Minister for Finance (14 Jul 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I will address the point of geography, our size and where we are located. These are issues I regularly raise when I am involved in discussions regarding the competitive status of Ireland and, for example, the contribution that corporate tax has made to it. I assure Deputy Durkan that I regularly and forcefully make this particular argument. However, in the spirit of candour it is also...