Results 1,321-1,340 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Chapter 7 - Audit of Revenue 2011
Chapter 8 - Revenue Outturn 2011
Chapter 9 - Revenue Debt Collection
Chapter 10 - Increasing Tax Compliance (21 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: I do not expect Ms Feehily to delve into the area of policy. I refer to a story in the media which has been circulating around these corridors, that Revenue made it clear to Government officials that it could only take on one additional project this year. It was said that Revenue told Government it could not deal with any other project this year if it were to deal with the property tax. It...

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Chapter 7 - Audit of Revenue 2011
Chapter 8 - Revenue Outturn 2011
Chapter 9 - Revenue Debt Collection
Chapter 10 - Increasing Tax Compliance (21 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: It has been useful to hear that clarification from Ms Feehily. The numbers of Revenue staff have been reduced in line with all other public service organisations. The Revenue Commissioners said that cuts of €15 million to their budget could lead to losses for the taxpayer of €434 million in 2013. That seems an astonishing assertion.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Chapter 7 - Audit of Revenue 2011
Chapter 8 - Revenue Outturn 2011
Chapter 9 - Revenue Debt Collection
Chapter 10 - Increasing Tax Compliance (21 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: I think they did. It was in a response to a parliamentary-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Chapter 7 - Audit of Revenue 2011
Chapter 8 - Revenue Outturn 2011
Chapter 9 - Revenue Debt Collection
Chapter 10 - Increasing Tax Compliance (21 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: I take Ms. Feehily's point. Regardless of who said what or the order of it, could a cut of €15 million actually result in nearly half a billion less in tax being taken in?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Chapter 7 - Audit of Revenue 2011
Chapter 8 - Revenue Outturn 2011
Chapter 9 - Revenue Debt Collection
Chapter 10 - Increasing Tax Compliance (21 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: That is very useful information. I have three further questions. What joint investigations have been carried out with the Department of Social Protection in the past year? What have been the yields from those investigations? What sectors produced those yields?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Chapter 7 - Audit of Revenue 2011
Chapter 8 - Revenue Outturn 2011
Chapter 9 - Revenue Debt Collection
Chapter 10 - Increasing Tax Compliance (21 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: This is an issue that rings alarm bells in the minds of every public representative. I suppose that is the challenge for the Revenue because we are always telling Departments to talk to each other and when that happens, we give out about the way it is done. With hindsight, the issue caused a lot of concern. I ask Ms Feehily to evaluate how that was dealt with.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Chapter 7 - Audit of Revenue 2011
Chapter 8 - Revenue Outturn 2011
Chapter 9 - Revenue Debt Collection
Chapter 10 - Increasing Tax Compliance (21 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: Very good. There are two final issues to which I wish to refer. A very interesting story appeared in the national media last October which indicated that Revenue believed that Government Departments and public bodies had been involved, on a number of occasions, in offensive tax avoidance or in abuse of the tax system. As far as I am aware, this related to the classification of employees....

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Chapter 7 - Audit of Revenue 2011
Chapter 8 - Revenue Outturn 2011
Chapter 9 - Revenue Debt Collection
Chapter 10 - Increasing Tax Compliance (21 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: I appreciate that Ms Feehily is a very helpful individual and I am sure her letter was of assistance to the State agencies involved.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Chapter 7 - Audit of Revenue 2011
Chapter 8 - Revenue Outturn 2011
Chapter 9 - Revenue Debt Collection
Chapter 10 - Increasing Tax Compliance (21 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: Ms Feehily need not provide specific examples but is she of the view that State agencies are doing enough to ensure that they are meeting their tax liabilities? She made some comments, which are both helpful and alarming, in respect of the fact that State agencies do not use tax advisers. Before she arrived, we engaged in a discussion on the substantial sums of money with which some of...

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Chapter 7 - Audit of Revenue 2011
Chapter 8 - Revenue Outturn 2011
Chapter 9 - Revenue Debt Collection
Chapter 10 - Increasing Tax Compliance (21 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: It is useful for us to know and a matter we can take up with individual Accounting Officers in relation to their particular agency. The issue of interaction between the Revenue Commissioners and businesses in a difficult economic climate arises time and again. I do not want to take up too much time so I will ask just a couple of questions, to which Ms Feehily may respond together, if she...

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Chapter 7 - Audit of Revenue 2011
Chapter 8 - Revenue Outturn 2011
Chapter 9 - Revenue Debt Collection
Chapter 10 - Increasing Tax Compliance (21 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: The struggling business owner at home watching these proceedings will wonder whether it is part of Revenue's remit to consider potential lost revenue caused by the winding up of the company. Is it Revenue's job just to collect the tax for which the business is liable? Is any consideration given to potential lost revenue?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners
Chapter 7 - Audit of Revenue 2011
Chapter 8 - Revenue Outturn 2011
Chapter 9 - Revenue Debt Collection
Chapter 10 - Increasing Tax Compliance (21 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: I thank Ms Feehily.

Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: Deputy Boyd Barrett will not even pay an extra charge of €100.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Deserted Wives Allowance (26 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason persons who were in receipt of the now defunct deserted wives allowance prior to its discontinuation in 1997 continue to receive this payment until they reach transition pension age; her plans to review this practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9716/13]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Septic Tank Remediation Grants (26 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow may recover some of the cost which they incurred for a puraflo effluent treatment system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9728/13]

Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: What about your own one?

Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: How is the Citizens' Information Board doing?

Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: That is not true.

Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: I did not.

Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Feb 2013)

Simon Harris: Name them.