Results 15,101-15,120 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (28 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: The 2006 revised estimate for my Department's vote is €110.831 million. Moneys from the Vote will be fully and appropriately spent in accordance with the ambit of the Vote. While the Outturn for the Vote will not, of course, be known until after end year, expenditure trends to date suggest a possible saving of the order of €10 million may arise at end 2006. Any Savings will be...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (28 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: The National Development Plan/Community Support Framework (NDP/CSF) 2000-2006 is implemented through seven Operational Programmes. The most recent expenditure data on the Plan relates to the period to the end December 2005. This data is set out in Tables 1 and 2 below. Data for first six months of 2006 will be available at end October 2006 following the meetings of the Operational...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (28 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: My Department has no objection, in principle, to the pension scheme proposal submitted by the Department of Education and Science for certain caretakers employed in certain primary schools. However, there are some details in relation to the proposal which remain to be considered further before formal sanction to the scheme can be given by my Department. Discussions on these issues are...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (28 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions 164 and 165 together. As the Deputy will appreciate, the tax liability of, and tax payments made by, individual taxpayers is a matter for the Revenue Commissioners. I am advised by Revenue that the information requested by the Deputy is confidential to the taxpayer concerned and, accordingly, they are not in a position to disclose it. If the taxpayer wishes to...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (28 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: I have been advised by the Revenue Commissioners that an amended PAYE Balancing Statement for 2005 issued to the taxpayer on 26 September 2006. This showed that no tax deductions were made from her income in 2005. Consequently, no entitlement to a refund arises in this instance.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (28 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that relief from Capital Acquisitions Tax on gifts and inheritances of agricultural property is available where the beneficiary fulfils certain conditions. If the beneficiary sells the agricultural property within six years of the date of the gift or inheritance a claw-back of the relief will occur, unless the proceeds from the sale are fully...

Written Answers — Disabled Drivers: Disabled Drivers (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: The operation of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Scheme was reviewed by a special Interdepartmental Review Group. The terms of reference of the Group were to examine the operation of the existing scheme, including the difficulties experienced by the various groups and individuals involved with it, and to consider the feasibility of alternative schemes, with a...

Written Answers — Disabled Drivers: Disabled Drivers (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: Following a period of difficulty in organising sufficient meetings of the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal, I reconstituted the Board in early 2005, and have incrementally expanded the panel of doctors from three to the current seventeen members. This has facilitated more frequent meetings of the Board, thus enabling continuing progress to be made in reducing the backlog of appeals...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: The payment of tax liabilities by specific taxpayers is a matter for the Revenue Commissioners. I am advised by Revenue that their approach with all taxpayers is focused on getting payment of the correct amount of tax on time. Where despite that focus timely and correct payment is not achieved, then Revenue will take all relevant factors into account in determining the approach to be taken...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 463, 465, 471, 496 and 523 together. I referred the case for a review of the limits on longer term lending set out in section 35 of the Credit Union Act, 1997 to the Credit Union Advisory Committee (CUAC) earlier this year. In July, CUAC — the statutory expert advisory body on credit union matters — advised me that a review should take place to see if a...

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: VAT and Excise tax returns do not specify the income of the consumer and consequently the information sought by the Deputy is not available within my Department.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: I refer the Deputy to the Poverty Proofing done in the Budget Booklet each year, the tax tables showing average tax rates published each year in the same booklet, the annual survey of tax paid by high earners and the three volume report on the use of tax reliefs published last February. In a review of the distributive impact of Budget 2006 in its published Quarterly Economic Commentary, the...

Written Answers — Income Ratio: Income Ratio (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: It is assumed that the Deputy is referring to income for the purposes of income tax and that information required by the Deputy is the ratio of the average income of the top five per cent of income earners to the average income of all income earners. I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the most recent basic data on incomes available from which information of the type requested by...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 469 and 478 together. Generally speaking, the tax system treats members of cohabiting couples as separate and unconnected individuals. Each partner is a separate entity for tax purposes and credits and bands and reliefs cannot be transferred from one partner to the other. There are no special favourable tax arrangements for cohabiting couples with dependent...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: Tax relief on mortgage interest is applied 'at source' by the mortgage provider since 1st January 2002. The mortgage provider in turn claims back the tax relief directly from Revenue. Since 2002, the number of new mortgage accounts for which interest relief was sought increased from 95,857 in 2002 to 113,673 in 2005. New applications for relief at source can be notified directly to Revenue...

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: I am aware of a proposal for the stamp duty levied on credit cards to be donated to a charitable body or sporting organisation. The stamp duty yield over recent years is: 2004 €59m 2005 €63.8m 2006 €67.3m (provisional estimate) These revenues are applied by the Exchequer for the common good, as determined by the Oireachtas. I do not favour earmarked taxes in general, as this reduces...

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: I have no proposals to regulate in this area in the manner outlined. The Deputy will however be aware a number of financial institutions offer affinity credit card services to their customers through which support can be provided for good causes on a voluntary basis.

Written Answers — Commuter Ticket Schemes: Commuter Ticket Schemes (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: The additional information requested by the Deputy has now been received from Bus Éireann and Luas. These are now included in the following revised tables which show ticket sales under this scheme for the years 1999 to 2005. (The 2005 figures have also been revised to reflect end quarter sales.) 1999 Quantity Monthly Dublin Bus Ticket 290 Monthly Irish Rail Ticket (Dublin Suburban) 100...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 475, 490 and 497 together. The position is that the VAT treatment of goods and services is governed by EU law with which Irish VAT law must comply. Where homecare services are provided directly by the Health Service Executive (HSE), they do not generally come within the scope of VAT, as Public Bodies are not regarded as taxable persons. This means that they...

Written Answers — Compensation Schemes: Compensation Schemes (27 Sep 2006)

Brian Cowen: I have no plans to introduce such a scheme. The position is that where claims for asbestosis arise in the workplace they are between the claimant and their employer and would be dealt with in accordance with normal legal procedures. In cases where the Government is the employer, such claims are a matter in the first instance for the claimant and the employing Department or agency, and would...