Results 17,121-17,140 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: The Revenue Commissioners' study, Effective tax rates of the top 400 earners: Report for the tax year 2001, was published by my Department in March of this year. I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that a study of the effective tax rates of the top 400 earners in 2002 is close to completion and will be published in the normal course.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 164 and 181 together. As I have already outlined to the House, the stallion stud fee exemption was introduced in Finance Act 1969 and amended in 1985. The stallion relief was included as part of annual reports on aid granted in Ireland to the agriculture sector sent by the Department of Agriculture to the Commission in 1982 and on a number of subsequent...

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: When I published the 2005 expenditure Estimates in November 2004, I indicated that some €2.8 billion overall across Departments would be provided this year specifically for people with disabilities. This represented an increase of some €290 million, or 11%, on the 2004 figure. The €2.8 billion, which does not include spending on disabled persons who participate in and benefit from...

Written Answers — Construction Industry Contracts: Construction Industry Contracts (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: Consultation with the construction industry and the relevant professional bodies on a suite of draft new standard forms of contracts for construction and new terms of engagement for construction-related consultants took place from the end of July of this year until late October. During these extensive discussions, the views, comments and concerns of the construction industry and the...

Written Answers — House Prices: House Prices (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: All owner-occupiers are generally exempt from stamp duty on new houses where the property is 125 sq m or less. As the Deputy will be aware, the 2005 budget introduced a stamp duty relieving measure for first-time house purchasers who are owner-occupiers of second-hand houses by increasing the stamp duty exemption threshold for such purchasers from €190,500 to €317,500 and by having...

Written Answers — Tax Yield: Tax Yield (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy may be aware, the end-October Exchequer returns are available on my Department's website. The results for the first ten months of 2005 indicate that the public finances remain in a sound position. Tax revenue, at €29.422 billion, is €1,240 million ahead of profile for the end of October. Year on year tax receipts were up 8.6% compared to the profiled increase of 4% to the...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I refer the Deputy to the long-standing practice of Ministers for Finance not to comment on what may or may not be contained in upcoming budgets. Any steps of the sort mentioned by the Deputy will be a matter for consideration in the context of the budget and Finance Bill.

Written Answers — Special Savings Incentive Scheme: Special Savings Incentive Scheme (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that, based on the analysis of the 2004 SSIA annual returns furnished by all qualifying savings managers, the total number of active accounts at 31 December 2004 was 1,094,294 and the average monthly subscription at that date was €175. As indicated in replies to previous parliamentary questions, it is not possible to give a definitive answer as to...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that about 10,000 notices of intention to make a disclosure were received from taxpayers or agents on their behalf, by the 23 May deadline. In some instances the notices were described as protective, with taxpayers needing to establish whether in fact any liabilities arose. Revenue was not in a position to make any estimate of the numbers in advance...

Written Answers — Tax Compliance: Tax Compliance (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I have been informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the tax compliance testing programme was rolled out in November 2004 and is used as a random case selection tool in 2005 to test compliance on a number of fronts. It tests payment compliance, filing compliance and reporting compliance. Some 400 cases were allocated to the various regions and to large cases division. Most of these audits...

Written Answers — Price Inflation: Price Inflation (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: Methodological issues are the responsibility of the director general of the Central Statistics Office, CSO, who is independent in deciding the statistical methodology and professional standards to be used in compiling price indices. The OECD analysis focuses primarily on the harmonised index of consumer prices. It should be noted, however, that the coverage of housing costs in the consumer...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: The Centre for Management Organisation and Development is part of the organisation management and training division of my Department and its role is to provide a number of advisory and support services to the Civil Service in the areas of information and communications technology, staff development and management, and common systems development. It also manages delegation arrangements for ICT...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: The current position remains as set out in my response to the Deputy's Question No. 93 of 5 October, 2005. As I indicated in my reply, in July last year the Government approved, on the initiative of the then Minister for Finance, reduced fess for all legal representation including that of third parties at tribunals or inquiries established from September 2004, and to existing tribunals and...

Written Answers — Departmental Estimates: Departmental Estimates (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I have been examining proposals for reform of the Estimates and budgetary process in conjunction with my Government colleagues on foot of my budget 2005 announcement that I intended to consider options for reform in this regard. These deliberations are still ongoing and I will also take into account the recent Committee of Public Accounts report. As I indicated in my reply to a previous...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: VRT provides significant revenue to the Exchequer —€946 million in 2004 — which is used to fund vital public services. The European Commission has published a proposal for a directive in relation to car taxes which supports the gradual abolition of registration taxes which would be replaced by circulation taxes which would have a CO2 element. However, discussion on this proposal is at...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: It has been a basic feature of our corporation tax code that resident companies are chargeable to tax on their worldwide income and capital gains, with credit for tax paid in countries with which we have a double taxation agreement given against Irish tax payable. Unilateral credit relief may also be available in respect of tax paid in a country with which Ireland does not have such an...

Written Answers — Budget Submissions: Budget Submissions (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: I have received a pre-budget submission from the organisation concerned and the contents will be considered in the context of the forthcoming budget and Finance Bill. As Deputies are aware it would not be appropriate for me to comment in advance of the budget on possible budget decisions.

Written Answers — Fiscal Policy: Fiscal Policy (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: As outlined by my Department in Economic Review and Outlook, published in August 2005, while the outlook for the Irish economy is one of growth, there are significant downside risks which could alter this picture. One of the risks identified is the pace at which new housing output adjusts downwards to more sustainable levels given that sector's importance in terms of real growth in the...

Written Answers — Semi-State Bodies: Semi-State Bodies (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: The question of dividend payment is a matter for the board of each company. I expect the board would give due consideration to the views of the shareholder on the issue of dividends in the context of its deliberations on that matter. Expectations in relation to dividend receipts vary from company to company depending on the company's financial position generally and its capital investment...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (9 Nov 2005)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy is aware, it is not the practice for the Minister for Finance to announce the income tax or other changes he intends to make in forthcoming budgets. However, I might remind the Deputy that it was this Government that introduced the minimum wage to protect low paid workers and it was this Government which over the last eight budgets removed a record number of about 465,000...