Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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144. To ask the Minister for Finance the general Revenue compliance initiatives that are under way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29741/15]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Maximising voluntary tax and duty compliance is a key objective for Revenue. Providing a high quality efficient and cost effective service to taxpayers and their agents to facilitate voluntary compliance is an important priority for Revenue in that regard.

Allied to the quality service approach is a clear focus on addressing non-compliance in all its forms.  Sophisticated risk assessment and intelligence gathering system are deployed by Revenue to target interventions for optimum impact. Cases at risk of non-compliance are identified through the use of enhanced third party information such as supply chain data on fuel oil movements, merchant acquirer data on credit and debit card transactions and Government Payments data.

Revenue devotes considerable resources to and prioritises the deployment of skilled and trained staff to its broad range of compliance management and case intervention programmes aimed at counteracting evasion in all its forms. Revenue's risk based compliance interventions are intended to maximise tax recoveries from the non-compliant and prosecute those involved in serious tax, duty and customs fraud and evasion.

I am advised by Revenue that the compliance activities undertaken include debt management and collection, returns compliance, anti-smuggling operations, risk-based and random compliance interventions, border control checks, a focus on aggressive tax and duty avoidance schemes as well as work to combat shadow economy activities that includes collaboration and joint investigations with other Government Departments and agencies. 

Revenue's Annual Report for 2014, which is available on the Revenue website at the following link will provide the Deputy with some very helpful information on the of the breadth of Revenue's compliance management programme and interventions including detailed information on the numbers and scope of compliance interventions and the outcomes obtained.

As part of a major overhaul of Ireland's anti-avoidance legislation in the Finance Act 2014, a settlement opportunity was made available to taxpayers who entered into tax avoidance transactions before 24 October 2014. To take advantage of this opportunity, taxpayers were required to make a Qualifying Avoidance Disclosure, pay the tax avoided and 80% of the interest due on that tax, by 30 June 2015. A total of 137 cases yielding €43.7 million (including tax and interest) had availed of the opportunity to regularise their tax affairs. This is a provisional figure subject to the Revenue Commissioners' verification that the requirements of the Qualifying Avoidance Disclosure have been met. Revenue will actively pursue those taxpayers who failed to take advantage of this settlement opportunity and will seek tax, interest, surcharges, penalties and other sanctions, as appropriate, in such cases.