Publican heads quarterly list of tax defaulters with €1.36m settlement

A KILKENNY publican made a tax settlement of €1.36 million, the largest of 111 settlements on the latest quarterly list of tax defaulters published in Iris Oifigiúil.

Séamus Delaney of Patrick Street, Kilkenny, who owns a pub called Jas Delaney's, Patrick Street, Kilkenny, paid €433,788 in underdeclared income tax and VAT, and €931,064 in interest and penalties, in a case that arose under the Revenue Commissioners' insurance products inquiry.

His is the only settlement on yesterday's list that exceeds €1 million. The total arising from all the settlements was slightly more than €20 million. The period covered was January to March of this year.

A former independent councillor from Nenagh, Co Tipperary, Joseph O'Connor, made a settlement of €36,865 after a Revenue audit case. In December 2003 Mr O'Connor's business made a €2.8 million settlement with the Revenue. That arose out of a National Irish Bank/bogus non-resident account case.

Mr O'Connor is the founder of a supermarket and shopping centre business, O'Connor's Nenagh Shopping Centre Ltd, and also has property interests in the town.

The latest list shows that O'Connor's Nenagh Shopping Centre Ltd made a settlement of €169,225 arising from the underdeclaration of VAT and PAYE/PRSI.

A company associated with Jay Bourke, the presenter of the RTÉ television series, The Mentor, made a €158,815 settlement arising from the underdeclaration of VAT. Sherland Entertainments Ltd, owned by Mr Bourke and Eoin Foyle, runs the Café Bar Deli group as well as Eden restaurant in Dublin and other outlets.

"It was just a mistake, you know, we are turning over so much money," Mr Bourke said when contacted. "I have no sense of shame about it. None. I'm not even embarrassed."

Mr Bourke said the company employed 680 people and, with tax and excise duties and VAT, had collected up to €50 million for the Government over the years. "So it's a very small amount. I'm tax compliant. I believe in paying tax, but we made an error." He said the Revenue should erect a statue of him given how much tax he had collected for the State.

The list shows that Bartholomew Dunne of Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co Dublin, a retired publican and the former owner of Bartley Dunne's pub on Lower Stephen's Street, Dublin, made a settlement of €36,000 in underdeclared income tax and interest, as part of the Revenue's offshore funds inquiries.

A retired fisherman, John Graham of Radharc na Mara, Dingle, Co Kerry, made a settlement of €866,480 arising from the underdeclaration of income tax in a single insurance premium products case.

Pádraig McCormack, a company director, of Collins Avenue, Dublin, made a settlement of €197,806 arising from income tax and capital gains tax. The settlement involved interest and penalties totalling €110,533 and arose from a Revenue audit.

Two companies with which Mr McCormack is associated, Delisle Taverns Ltd and Touchstone Taverns Ltd, made settlements totalling €91,934. The settlements arose from the underdeclaration of income tax and arose from Revenue audits.

The companies are associated, respectively, with the Dublin pubs Brannigans, of Cathedral Street, and Bellamys, in Ballsbridge.

Of the 111 settlements totalling €20.14 million:

six settlements totalling €1.55 million related to bogus non-resident account holders;

25 settlements totalling €5.17 million related to investigations into offshore funds;

and 30 settlements totalling €8.10 million related to single premium insurance products cases.