A BUSINESSMAN has been given a three-year suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to a total of 40 tax offences whereby he ended up owing the Revenue Commissioners some €467,000 in liabilities, interest and penalties.
Gerard Barrett (38), the Paddocks, Castleredmond, Midleton, Co Cork, admitted some 17 counts of filing incorrect VAT returns with a €127,000 liability and 14 counts of wrongly reclaiming VAT payments worth €28,000.
Barrett, who ran Barrett Direct Destination couriers, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of filing incorrect income tax returns for 2003 and 2004, and to seven counts of producing false invoices.
John O’Flynn of Investigations and Prosecutions at the Revenue Commissioners said liabilities amounted to €180,000, with €80,000 due in interest. Penalties brought the total to €467,000.
Judge Patrick Moran, who heard that Barrett had paid almost €12,000 to the Revenue to date, sentenced him to three years in jail but suspended it on condition that he pay €40,000 loaned by his family towards the tax bill.
