Horse trainer and golf developer appear on tax list

A COMPANY owned by racehorse trainer, Aidan O’Brien and his wife, a former golf course and resorts developer, and a high-profile internet hosting business, all feature on the Revenue defaulters’ list published yesterday.

Revenue audits and investigations yielded a total of €113 million in the three months ended June 30th. The settlements published in yesterday’s list totalled €26 million.

Eassda Ireland, the developer of golf courses, Moyvalley in Kildare and New Forest in Meath, which went under last year with debts of €33 million, made a €3.6 million settlement with the Revenue, the largest in the list.

Antrim-based Eassda has been in receivership since July last year and administration. It owes almost €30 million to three banks, Ulster, Northern and Bank of Ireland. Its settlement related to under declaration of contracts tax.

Eassda was owned by businessman Alastair Jackson and his family. The business began life as a house builder, but branched into golf course and resort development over the last decade. Irish Nationwide was one of a number of lenders that provided it with funding in the past.

Whisperview Trading, a racehorse breeding specialist based in Piltown, Co Kilkenny, and owned by champion trainer, Aidan O’Brien and his wife Anne-Marie, paid €526,077.

The company confirmed yesterday that it paid €177,639 in tax and €348,437 in interest and penalties. In a statement, it said it lodged some of its earnings in an overseas account between 2000 and 2003. It returned this money to the Republic in November 2003, and paid the corporation tax due at the prevailing rate, which was 12.5 per cent.

However, company profits were subject to higher tax rates in the 2000 to 2002 period, when it actually earned the money in question.

“The underpayment of tax in respect of the year 2000, 2001 and 2002 gave rise to the additional corporation tax and to the interest and penalties which were also paid,” Whisperview said yesterday. The statement added that it is now fully tax compliant.

Mr O’Brien has been champion racehorse trainer in Ireland and Britain several times. His main client is global bloodstock group, Coolmore Stud. Whisperview is a separate business from his training operation. It breeds racehorses and sells them at public auction in Ireland and Britain.

Blacknight Internet Solutions Ltd, a Carlow-based business that hosts websites for Irish and multi-national clients, made a VAT settlement of €721,291. Its managing director, Michele Neylon, said yesterday that the company made the settlement with the Revenue after identifying problems with its systems for accounting for VAT. He added that Blacknight has paid off most of the liability.

Charity worker, Niall Mellon’s pub, Taylor’s Three Rock, Grange Road, Rathfarnham, was fined €700 for a failure to hold a current liquor licence. This did not feature on the defaulters’ list, but on a separate list detailing other revenue breaches.