Results 18,741-18,760 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Written Answers — National Minimum Wage: National Minimum Wage (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: I remind the Deputy it was this Government that introduced the minimum wage to protect low paid workers and which, over the last eight budgets, removed a record number of some 459,500 workers from the tax net. The wage is €15,515 on an annualised basis, based on a 39-hour week. The income tax threshold is €14,250 per annum. The Revenue Commissioners estimate there will be approximately...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: The Deputy is aware of my announcement in budget 2005 that my Department, in conjunction with the Revenue Commissioners, will undertake a detailed review of certain tax incentive schemes and tax exemptions this year. There are a number of elements to the review which is already under way. It will evaluate the impact and operation of certain incentive schemes and exemptions including their...

Written Answers — Non-Resident Accounts: Non-Resident Accounts (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that their Ansbacher review team has inquired into 289 cases to date, 109 of which have been finalised. The 289 cases, taking account of spouses and connected companies, consist of 300 names. They are made up of 179 cases listed on the High Court inspectors' report and 110 similar cases discovered by Revenue or listed on the authorised officer's...

Written Answers — Banking Sector Regulation: Banking Sector Regulation (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: The level of penalties to be applied in the case of certain tax evasion by the banking sector was addressed in the Finance Act 2002, following recommendations made by the Committee of Public Accounts. As a result, heavier tax-geared penalties can now be applied in circumstances where fixed penalties were previously applied. As the Deputy is aware, the Revenue Commissioners were given...

Written Answers — Special Savings Incentive Scheme: Special Savings Incentive Scheme (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: The SSIA scheme opened on 1 May 2001 and entry to it closed on 30 April 2002. The accounts are due to mature between May 2006 and April 2007 at the end of the five-year period. A total of 1.17 million accounts were opened during the period outlined. The specific goal of the SSIA scheme was to encourage people to save over a period of at least five years. Its effect has been to stimulate such...

Written Answers — Public Private Partnerships: Public Private Partnerships (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: I refer the Deputy to my answer to a parliamentary question put by Deputy Murphy on Tuesday, 1 February 2005, reference number 2536/05, wherein I provided the following information. Public private partnerships, PPPs, are part of the overall strategy to deliver on investment priorities. The Government is committed to developing the PPP process as a viable procurement option for appropriate...

Written Answers — Financial Services Regulation: Financial Services Regulation (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: My Department is not carrying out an investigation into any of the companies named. Since this is an operational matter, it is for the Revenue Commissioners to decide what action should be taken in cases that come to their attention. For operational reasons it would not be appropriate to comment further. The role of the Minister for Finance in regard to financial regulation is to bring...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: I accept that the number of applications to the central applications facility, CAF, from the Civil Service are much better than those from State agencies. Unlike the State agencies, the Civil Service has considerable previous experience of decentralisation and has a long tradition of interdepartmental transfers. The decentralisation implementation group asked that all organisations...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that there are two ways in which a taxpayer may have been in breach of the amnesty, either through making a false declaration or through not making a declaration. The Revenue Commissioners do not have figures for the number of detected breaches of the amnesty. The confidentiality conditions built into the 1993 amnesty legislation make such breaches...

Written Answers — Tax Collection: Tax Collection (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: The Revenue Powers Group was established in March 2003 to review Revenue's main powers and recommend changes. The group reported in late 2003 and its report was published in February 2004. At the time of publication of the report, the then Minister for Finance indicated his intention to allow a period for public debate and reflection on many of the wide-ranging issues raised by the...

Written Answers — Budgetary Process Reform: Budgetary Process Reform (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am continuing to examine a number of options for change which could be implemented in the short and medium term. Any changes to the process would need to meet best practice, improve both the quality of debate and the data available to the House on the budget, meet our obligations to the EU and be capable of being delivered within the existing budget timetable. Before I bring proposals to...

Written Answers — Public Capital Programmes: Public Capital Programmes (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: The recently revised guidelines for the appraisal and management of capital expenditure proposals in the public sector are part of the Government's continuing commitment to maximising value for money from public expenditure. They will complement the rolling multi-annual capital envelopes introduced in budget 2004. The new guidelines are designed to be rigorous in their approach to the...

Written Answers — House Prices: House Prices (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: In the past number of years there has been a sharp increase in housing output and it has become a highly significant sector of the economy. In 2003 housing construction accounted for just over 10% of GNP. A gradual easing back of housing output is envisaged in the coming years, although this is expected to be offset by other components of building and construction, assisted by a continuation...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the estimated corporation tax paid in 2004 by banks and other financial institutions was of the order of €1,300 million. This figure is significant, representing almost 25% of our total corporation tax take of €5,334 million in 2004. This covers banks, their Irish subsidiaries, banking activities in the IFSC, insurance companies and building...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: There is in fact no such proposal from the European Commission at this time. The Commission has invited Council to discuss the options suggested by the Commission for direct EU taxation to fund, in part at least, the Union budget from 2014 onwards. In putting forward this suggestion, the Commission has identified VAT as one of three options for that direct EU tax. Currently, the EU budget is...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: I assume the Deputy is referring to the recent decision of the European Court of Justice concerning Hotel Scandic, a Swedish company which was about to provide subsidised meals to its employees. There has been no European Court of Justice case involving the Revenue Commissioners' interpretation of VAT rules on canteen food sales. In the Scandic case the European Court of Justice found that...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: As stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 52 of 1 February 2005, all organisations that are decentralising, including Ordnance Survey Ireland, OSI, have prepared and submitted an implementation plan as requested by the decentralisation implementation group, DIG. This plan included detailed material on all issues to be addressed in terms of people, property and business planning and...

Written Answers — National Development Plan: National Development Plan (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 70 and 112 together. I would also refer the Deputies to my response to Questions Nos. 23 and 82 of 1 February 2005. A detailed evaluation of the National Development Plan 2000-2006 was conducted by the ESRI in 2003. The evaluation found that the NDP has made significant progress towards its objectives of promoting continuing sustainable national economic and...

Written Answers — Fiscal Policy: Fiscal Policy (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: The Department of Social and Family Affairs has the primary role in the provision of financial support in respect of children. Child benefit is the main fiscal instrument through which such support is provided. Child benefit provides support to all parents or guardians in their parenting role irrespective of the parents' economic or income status and, as such, it does not contribute to...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (3 Mar 2005)

Brian Cowen: I am satisfied that the Revenue Commissioners are pursuing a programme which is dealing in a very determined way with tax evasion. The commissioners are taking an approach which, depending on the nature of the case, involves either a monetary settlement and possible publication, or criminal investigation and prosecution. This combined policy has yielded significant results. In recent years,...