Results 10,821-10,840 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that enquiries relating to non-residence are a feature of their risk-based audit programmes. The procedures adopted in relation to validating a claim to non-residence status depend on the circumstances in each case. The methods used to verify claims to non-residence include a range of tests, which may include the examination of ATM transactions and...

Written Answers — Services Sector: Services Sector (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: Available data on services are, by their very nature, somewhat limited. However, in relation to the available indicators these suggest more modest activity in the services sector this year. I would point out, however, that exports of services have been very strong in recent years, rising by over 14 per cent last year. Employment in tradeable services tends to be in the higher value-added,...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: The post-Budget Estimates allocation (current and capital expenditure) for the Health Service Executive is over €14.9 billion, a 7% increase on 2007. The numbers employed (wholetime equivalents) in the health service increased last year by almost 4,300 to just over 111,500 at end 2007. My Department's 2008 sanction to the HSE to spend its post-Budget Estimates allocation for current...

Written Answers — Unemployment Levels: Unemployment Levels (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: On Budget day, my Department projected that unemployment, based on the classification used in the CSO Quarterly National Household Survey, would average 5.6 per cent for this year and that employment would rise by 1.1 per cent. These forecasts were, and remain, broadly in line with the market consensus. My Department, as always continues to monitor the emerging labour market position,...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: Revenue is not in a position to estimate the total number of Irish resident taxpayers in possession of foreign properties. As regards ensuring tax compliance by such persons I am advised by Revenue that one of the key objectives of their Offshore Assets Group is to identify Irish residents holding offshore properties in particular where these properties have been funded by undeclared profits...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 99 together. My colleague the Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment launched the Report of the High Level Group on Manufacturing earlier this month, on foot of a Towards 2016 agreement to review the challenges facing the manufacturing sector. The Group has highlighted a number of issues for the manufacturing sector in the areas of, among other...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: With effect from 1 January 2002, credit unions were required to apply DIRT on certain deposits held by members. Where recipients are in receipt of income that attracts DIRT they have no further tax liabilities in relation to this income as the DIRT liability is the final tax liability. The issue of the correct operation of the DIRT provisions by credit unions is a risk factor which the...

Written Answers — Banking Sector Regulation: Banking Sector Regulation (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: In the wake of dislocation in global financial markets from mid-2007 onwards, the Ecofin Council of 9 October 2007 requested the Commission and the EU Financial Services Committee (FSC) to consider possible enhancements of the EU Deposit Guarantee Scheme (DGS) and to report back to the Council by mid-2008. Since then, discussions on DGS have taken place in the FSC, the EU Economic and Finance...

Written Answers — Fiscal Policy: Fiscal Policy (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: The European Commission's assessment, based on the update of Ireland's stability programme which was published with Budget 2008, represents a reasonable view of the Irish economy. While it refers to the challenges of a "transition to a period of lower economic growth, mainly linked to a return to more sustainable activity in the housing sector", it also acknowledges the overall strong...

Written Answers — Price Inflation: Price Inflation (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 74 together. Inflation, as measured by the average annual change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), reached 5.0 per cent in the twelve months to March 2008. However, it is important that we acknowledge that the fact that price levels in Ireland are now on average 20 per cent above levels in other euro area countries is an indicator of the slippage in...

Written Answers — Off-Licence Fees: Off-Licence Fees (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: In the Finance Act 2008 I increased from €250 to €300 the duty payable in respect of an off-licence for the retail sale of alcohol. In the normal course, many off-licence premises have three separate licences for the sale of alcohol, covering spirits, beer and wine, which, between them, allow the sale of all kinds of alcohol. The effect of the increase is, therefore, to increase the...

Written Answers — Public Sector Reform: Public Sector Reform (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 58 together. Last year the Government asked the OECD to carry out a review of the Irish Public Service. The OECD was given two tasks: to benchmark the Public Service in Ireland against other comparable countries, including identification of appropriate measures to compare the productivity and effectiveness of the Irish system, or discrete elements of...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: The commencement of Section 110 of the Finance Act 2007 is kept under constant review and any further consideration has to take into account the prevailing circumstances in the housing and property markets. The Deputy's question presumably arises as a result of a recent newspaper headline stating "Department of Finance wanted stamp duty report put on hold". The document giving rise to this...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government does not include provision for the introduction of such a tax and there are no plans, at this stage, to introduce a tax of this type.

Written Answers — Social Insurance: Social Insurance (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: The provisional annual surplus of the Social Insurance Fund in 2007 was €581.7 million and the provisional accumulated surplus of the Fund at the end of 2007 was €3,630.8 million. The annual surplus of the Fund in 2008 is estimated to be €548.1 million and the accumulated surplus at the end of 2008 is estimated to be €4,178.9 million. The investment of the accumulated surplus of...

Written Answers — Fiscal Policy: Fiscal Policy (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: As I have indicated in response to earlier Parliamentary Questions on the fiscal and economic situation, the fiscal position at end-March was some €600 million behind where we had expected. Furthermore, I have indicated that at this stage it is not expected that this tax shortfall, particularly in CGT, will be recouped later in the year. In terms of new house completions, the indications...

Written Answers — Economic Outlook: Economic Outlook (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: In general terms, the OECD has long considered that the encouragement of home ownership diverts capital away from more productive uses within the economy. Bearing this is in mind, the main thrust of the OECD's survey on Ireland in relation to housing was that we should gradually reduce the bias towards home ownership in the tax system by either starting to phase out mortgage interest tax...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that they have no solid basis on which to estimate the numbers entitled to refunds of DIRT in excess of those who annually seek and are granted tax refunds. A refund of deposit interest retention tax is provided for in very limited circumstances only, namely, an individual who is not liable or fully liable to income tax and is over 65 years of age at...

Written Answers — Price Inflation: Price Inflation (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 78 together. Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), increased by an average 4.9 per cent in 2007, and has risen by 5.0 per cent in the twelve months to March 2008. Of the 4.9 per cent figure in 2007, 2.2 per cent was contributed by increased mortgage interest repayments. Including the impact of mortgage rate increases in the CPI not...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 Apr 2008)

Brian Cowen: The National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF) was established on 2 April 2001 with the objective of meeting as much as possible of the cost to the Exchequer of Social Welfare pensions and Public Service pensions to be paid from the year 2025 until at least 2055. For this purpose, the National Pensions Reserve Fund Act 2000 provides that 1% of GNP is to be paid from the Exchequer into the Fund...