Results 1,081-1,100 of 27,945 for speaker:Michael McGrath

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Irish Sign Language (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: I wish to advise the Deputy that of the social media videos posted by my Department during the timeframe specified, 66% included closed captioning/subtitles and none included Irish sign language translations. I am advised that of the social media videos posted by the bodies under the aegis of my Department in 2023, none included Irish sign language translations. The position in relation to...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: I am pleased to have the opportunity to appear before the committee today to discuss the 2024 Revised Estimates. As Minister for Finance, I will be discussing the four Votes within the finance group of Votes: Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance; Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General; Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners; and Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission....

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: I appreciate that some of the changes in the subheads in the presentation of the Vote can make comparison difficult. The origin of the changes to the subheads lie in the roll-out of the financial management shared services system, so some subheads are new in 2024 and other subheads are deactivated. That is presented in the table we have set out. I expect that in the future such changes...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: My understanding is that the allocation under Vote 7 is just for the corporate function within the Department of Finance. The bigger provision in terms of consultancy is under subhead A4, with an allocation of €2.2 million. The €100,000 is for internal matters, including health and safety audits and so on, related to the functioning of the Department.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: There was provision of €150,000 allocated to consultancy administration in 2023.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: I know the Deputy has questioned me previously on the arrangements with the National Rehabilitation Hospital, NRH. In simple terms, the reason for the reduction is that we had a once-off payment from the Department of Finance to the Department of Health, which was, in turn, paid to the NRH last year to facilitate the resumption of the appeal board hearings in the hospital. It does not...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: That is correct. If it is a grant-based scheme then it will be an expenditure item. However, we are not making any assumption around the timing of it. We are making provision for the calendar year 2024 for the continuation of the existing system. However, I would like to see it being replaced sooner rather than later with a grant-based scheme, which is more appropriate given the need that...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: We are taking a hands-on approach. We are proactive in our work as part of the group that the Taoiseach has convened. My Department has developed proposals. Even though we are not an expenditure-based Department, we have considerable expertise and experience within the Department and within the Revenue Commissioners of the operation of this scheme, which can be of significant help in the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: The work is ongoing in the Revenue Commissioners in terms of the full operation of pillar 2 which, as the Deputy said, we have legislated for now in the Finance Act, though the additional revenues will not begin to come until 2026. To give an indication of the level of recruitment currently under way in respect of OECD pillar 2, 23 technical staff are targeted for recruitment in 2024 for...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: I am familiar with the commitment that I gave to the Deputy and to the committee. That commitment will be fulfilled. The work is ongoing within the Department of Finance and as soon as it has been completed, it will be shared with the Deputy and the other members of the committee. I am aware of course of the OECD report. The Department and the Revenue Commissioners are much closer to the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: We have always viewed this as a two-pillared solution. We have always viewed the overall impact as being a net one to Ireland. We remain of the view that it will be a net negative in cash terms but positive in terms of stability and certainty of the offering. I am not going to comment specifically on the figures that the OECD has put into the public domain because the work is ongoing...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: I am very close to the work ongoing within the Department. The figure we gave previously was very much based on the implementation of pillars 1 and 2. We are working on the separation of the two in that we are now updating the estimate for pillar 2, although it could well be the case that pillar 1 will be agreed this year or next year. The precise timeframe for the implementation of that...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: I thank the Deputy. I believe he is referring to the Tax Strategy Group papers of 2023 that examine this issue and contain a short note on it. They provide an update on the number of properties in respect of which the 10% stamp duty rate has been applied. As the Deputy has indicated, I have shared with him the latest information I have available across the three years 2021, 2022 and 2023....

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: They were second-hand.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: A third of them were second-hand. It is likely and I accept that at least some of them – we do not know how many-----

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: -----were occupied. An important point is that they were second-hand homes, not new. It is also worth pointing out that, in respect of the stamp duty paid, there was a rebate of about €1.6 million to the entities that paid it because of the end use of the properties concerned. Some were used for social housing in the context of the refund provisions provided for at the time of the...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: As the Deputy can see, I have been digging into the issue, which is always what I or any Minister would do in seeking to fully understand the detail of what is happening behind individual transactions that amount to a certain level of activity overall. It is worth making the point that the homes do not disappear; they are occupied, be it by an individual or family renting or by a first-time...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: The data that we have, which we shared with the Deputy, points to about 1,200 properties being purchased where the 10% stamp duty was paid. The Deputy is seeking a change in the rate of stamp duty to, I think, a minimum of 17%. It is reasonable for me to point out that we have just come through a lengthy Finance Bill process and the Deputy, as the lead Opposition spokesperson, did not raise...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: Yes.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (24 Jan 2024)

Michael McGrath: To be clear and fair, the issue that I am responding to is the one the Deputy and his party have raised over the last couple of weeks in particular, namely, the 10% stamp duty rate.