Results 5,681-5,700 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the information requested as at February 2007 is set out in the table. The information is based on a price of €542.8 for 1,000 litres of Kerosene and €546.6 for 1,000 litres of home heating Diesel (Marked Gas Oil). Product Per Litre Per 1,000 Litres Price Excise VAT Total Tax Excise VAT Total Tax (cents) (cents) (cents) (cents) (€)...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: While the promotion of biofuel is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that in Finance Act 2006 I provided for significant tax measures to promote biofuels in Ireland. This scheme, which received the necessary EU State Aid approval, commenced in November 2006 and will: provide for excise relief on...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: Over ten thousand six hundred civil and public servants have applied to relocate under the Programme. Of these, approximately 5,600 or 53% are currently based in Dublin. The Central Applications Facility remains open and continues to receive applications. Discussions have concluded on a number of human resource and industrial relations matters and are being progressed on other issues. At...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: The position is that charities and non-profit groups engaged in non-commercial activity are exempt from VAT under the EU VAT Directive, with which Irish VAT law must comply. This means they do not charge VAT on the services they provide and cannot recover VAT incurred on goods and services that they purchase. Essentially only VAT registered businesses which charge VAT are able to recover VAT....

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: The Deputy will be aware that office holders and members of the Dáil and the Seanad may accept a gift in only limited circumstances. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste announced in October that the Ethics legislation would be amended to require an office holder or member, before accepting a significant gift or loan, to seek the opinion of the Standards in Public Office Commission that acceptance...

Written Answers — Fiscal Policy: Fiscal Policy (20 Mar 2007)

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. While revenues from housing market activity such as Stamp duty and Capital gains tax have made an increasing contribution to the Exchequer in recent years, we are not...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that it is not possible at present to estimate the number of Irish domiciled individuals claiming to be non-resident for tax purposes as such information has not been captured from tax returns in the past. Information which will assist in such estimation was however requested on the 2005 Return of Income. The processing of these returns is currently...

Written Answers — Price Inflation: Price Inflation (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: Inflation, as measured by the CPI fell to 4.8 per cent in February from 5.2 per cent in January 2007. On a HICP basis inflation fell to 2.6 per cent in February from 2.9 per cent in January. The rate of CPI inflation has increased in the past year; this is mainly due to ECB interest rate increases which are outside of Government control. If mortgage interest was removed, CPI inflation would...

Written Answers — State Airports: State Airports (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that Customs control of airports has to be looked at in the context of the Internal Market and the principle of freedom of movement within the European Union. Routine and systematic Customs checks on goods and passengers moving within any part of the EU have been abolished, as have Customs controls on the baggage of intra-Community passengers other...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that to date 6,570 small self-administered pension schemes have been approved by Revenue. As already outlined to the Deputy at the Committee Stage of the Finance Bill, 116 applications were received for Personal Fund Thresholds above the €5 million Standard Fund Threshold introduced in the 2006 Budget and Finance Act. The value of the five largest...

Written Answers — Consumer Protection: Consumer Protection (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: Under the EU Insurance Mediation Directive, travel agents who sell insurance only as part of a holiday package are specifically exempt from financial regulation. These agents are therefore not authorised and regulated as financial services providers by the Financial Regulator and do not come within the scope of the Consumer Protection Codes recently introduced by the Financial Regulator. The...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: On Budget Day, my Department projected economic growth of 5.3% in both GDP and GNP terms for this year. Interest rates remain relatively low in historical terms, and the recent increase has not altered the economic outlook.

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: Inflation, as measured by the CPI fell to 4.8 per cent in February from 5.2 per cent in January 2007. On a HICP basis inflation fell to 2.6 per cent in February from 2.9 per cent in January. The rate of CPI inflation has increased in the past year; this is mainly due to ECB interest rate increases which are outside of Government control. If mortgage interest was removed, CPI inflation would...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy is aware, I introduced legislation into the Finance Bill at Committee Stage to address the arrangements used by some developers that, under current law, do not involve a liability to stamp duty. The legislation provides that stamp duty may be liable on such arrangements as follows: in the case of a contract, where 25 per cent or more of the contract price has been paid over to...

Written Answers — Social Finance Foundation: Social Finance Foundation (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121, 137 and 296 together. On 8 February 2007 I launched the Social Finance Foundation to implement the Social Finance Initiative announced in Budget 2006. The Foundation has been established on a not-for-profit basis to act as a wholesale supplier of social finance for on-lending by specialist social finance lenders to support social and developmental...

Written Answers — Public Service Employment: Public Service Employment (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: The Government has over the last number of years, followed a policy under which growth in public service employment has slowed overall. The Government will continue to control and regulate numbers employed in the public service within agreed ceilings. The number employed is kept under constant review given the importance of striking an appropriate balance between the need, on the one hand,...

Written Answers — Consumer Credit: Consumer Credit (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: The rise in personal indebtedness must be seen in the context of buoyant economic conditions in recent years, which have been associated with very strong employment growth, increases in wages and reductions in direct taxation. A large part of the increase in personal sector indebtedness also reflects the accumulation of housing assets on the part of households. Moreover, the level of public...

Written Answers — Capital Expenditure: Capital Expenditure (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: My Department's Capital Appraisal Guidelines of February 2005, as amended by Circular Letter of 25 January 2006 on Value for Money, provide for an individual to be appointed as project manager for each capital project. The guidelines specify that a senior official should be appointed as project manager for capital projects above 30 million euro, including at management committee level, where...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: Responsibility for sectoral policy and the management of programmes rests with individual Ministers and their Departments. The development of performance indicators is an integral part of the development of sectoral policies and Value for Money and Policy Reviews and evaluations carried out by Departments. As part of the Government's reforms of the Estimates and Budget process announced by...

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (20 Mar 2007)

Brian Cowen: The table sets out actual stamp duty receipts in each of the past five years. 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Stamp Duty Receipts, €m 1,167 1,688 2,088 2,725 3,717 Stamps as a % of Total Tax Revenue: 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% Although exact data for stamp duty on residential property transactions are not available, the table sets out estimated figures for the period. It shows that receipts for...