Results 4,581-4,600 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen
- Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: Activity in the housing sector impacts primarily on VAT, Stamp duty and Capital gains tax. Housing market activity also impacts on Income tax and PRSI receipts and Corporation tax from construction sector company profits. VAT at 13.5% is included in the final price of a new house sold to the purchaser. I have been informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the VAT yield from new housing in...
- Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: The 2005 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General deals with the work of a number of Government Departments. Chapter 2 is devoted to the tax collection and enforcement activities of the Revenue Commissioners and section 5 of that Chapter deals specifically with Revenue prosecutions for serious tax evasion. The introduction to this section summarises Revenue's evaluation procedure...
- Written Answers — Public Private Partnerships: Public Private Partnerships (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: The NDFA commenced operations in 2003, with the functions of advising State authorities on the optimal means of financing the cost of public investment projects in order to achieve value for money and on all aspects of financing, refinancing and insurance of such projects. Where it is appropriate to do so, NDFA has the power to raise funds for projects itself. To date, this has not arisen....
- Written Answers — Civil Service Staff: Civil Service Staff (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: My Department was contacted by the Comptroller and Auditor General about a query he had raised with the Accounting Officer of the Department of Education and Science concerning payments for untaken annual leave at retirement in excess of the carry-over provisions of the relevant circular and legislation. While the Department of Finance is responsible for the policy with regard to annual leave...
- Written Answers — Interest Rates: Interest Rates (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: I have no statutory function in setting the interest rates offered by credit institutions â they are based on commercial criteria in the light of market conditions. Since 1992, the Irish banking market has been open to competition from credit institutions authorised in any EU/EEA Member State. Hence, new entrants to the market from abroad are competing with domestic banks for business in,...
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: I have received a pre-Budget submission from the Irish Association of Pensions Funds and I will consider their proposals in the normal way. I would make the following comments on the specific issue raised by the Deputy in relation to the tax on Approved Retirement Funds (ARFs). The change announced in Budget 2006 and given effect in the 2006 Finance Act, introduced an imputed or notional...
- Written Answers — Tax Policy: Tax Policy (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: I have stated before that taxation can play a part in attaining environment objectives which includes promoting energy efficiency. In this regard, the National Climate Change Strategy does envisage initiatives in the tax area with one such example being tax reliefs for "green initiatives". Essentially this approach uses the tax system to provide incentives for certain behaviour. Such...
- Written Answers — Customs Service: Customs Service (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the current number of staff assigned to Customs and Excise Enforcement roles at airports, ports and borders and in other monitoring operations is approximately 220. The number of staff deployed on any particular function within Revenue is a matter for the Revenue Board. I am assured that they keep such deployments under regular review having...
- Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: As the Deputy is aware, the Exchequer Returns to end-September were published on my Department's website on 4th October, together with my Press Statement. The Exchequer Returns to end-September showed a deficit of â¬136 million, compared with a deficit of â¬1,123 million for the same period last year and a Budget Day forecast of an Exchequer Deficit of â¬2,927 million for 2006 as a whole....
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: The Government's position on pension reform is reflected in the statement issued in August by my colleague the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when the Report of the Pensions Board on Supplementary Pensions â "Special Savings for Retirement" â was published. This statement recognised the many challenges in relation to pension coverage, while also making it clear that no pension...
- Written Answers — Price Inflation: Price Inflation (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: Inflation, as measured by annual changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), was 4.0 per cent in September down from 4.5 per cent in August. The average annual rate of inflation for the first nine months of the year was 3.8 per cent compared to an annual average rate of 2.5 per cent for 2005 as a whole. A large part of the recent pick-up in the annual inflation rate is due to external factors...
- Written Answers — Customer Services: Customer Services (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: I presume that the Deputy is referring to the report from the NESF dealing with 'Improving the Delivery of Quality Public Services' which is currently at draft stage. I will be happy to give full consideration to the recommendations of the NESF on this matter when the work of the group has been concluded and the report finalised. I should point out that for the last number of years there has...
- Written Answers — Tax Policy: Tax Policy (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: The stamp duty yield where First-Time Buyer Relief applied was â¬43.65m in 2005 and â¬40.4m in 2006 to the end of August. As the Deputy will appreciate, it is not the practice to comment in the lead up to the annual Budget and Finance Bill on the intention or otherwise to make changes in taxation.
- Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: The Credit Union Act, 1997 provides the legal framework for the regulation of credit unions. The Act was designed to provide the credit union movement with a regulatory structure that reflects and promotes the particular ethos and philosophy of the credit union movement, its strong tradition of volunteer service and the core objective of providing opportunities for saving and lending for...
- Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: At end-September my Department had expected that receipts from Stamp duty would be â¬93 million greater than the corresponding period in 2005. The fact that receipts were â¬780 million ahead of the corresponding period in 2005 is due to the unforeseen, continued buoyancy of the property market. While revenues from Stamp duty have made an increasing contribution to the Exchequer in recent...
- Written Answers — Interest Rates: Interest Rates (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: Interest rates are currently low in historical terms, and the recent increases would appear to have had a limited impact on the overall economy so far. Future impacts depend on the scale of any further increases and on the state of the EU and world economy generally at the time.
- Written Answers — Fiscal Policy: Fiscal Policy (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: I was happy with the very positive findings of the IMF in their review of the Irish economy. I was particularly pleased with their recognition of the success of this Government's fiscal policy when they said that 'Ireland's robust performance has been supported by sound economic policies, including prudent fiscal policy, low taxes on labour and business income, and labour market flexibility'....
- Written Answers — Tax Policy: Tax Policy (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: A 20% rate of CGT applies on the gains arising on the disposal of all assets, including land. Revenue from this source has increased from â¬168 million in 1997 to nearly â¬2 billion in 2005. Where a windfall gain arises as a result of planning decisions, that gain is incorporated in the chargeable taxable gain. I have no plans to introduce a separate tax to deal with that element.
- Written Answers — Value for Money Reviews: Value for Money Reviews (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: On 11th June last I announced a revamping of the Expenditure Review Initiative (ERI). The ERI has been retitled Value for Money and Policy Reviews and has a broader coverage. For the period 2006-2008 the revamped framework will encompass formal reviews already agreed to be carried out under the ERI as well as all other Policy Reviews conducted and commissioned by Departments which impact...
- Written Answers — National Development Plan: National Development Plan (18 Oct 2006)
Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 120, 131 and 135 together. The National Development Plan 2007-2013 will be a high level strategic document which will provide the framework for investment over the next seven years. The Plan will in particular seek to address the investment necessary to maintain national competitiveness and promote regional development within a sustainable economic and...