A priest has been fined €6,000 for failing to disclose rental income from at least 10 properties over a 10-year period.
Fr Tadhg O'Donovan (46) from Cork recently made a settlement with the Revenue Commissioners for €213,222, including a tax liability of €81,265, a civil penalty of €81,265, together with interest payment on his liabilities and penalty of €50,692.
At Cork District Court today, Fr O'Donovan pleaded guilty to a total of ten tax offences under the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997.
He pleaded guilty to five charges of failing to file correct tax returns for five tax periods between 1998 and 2002 inclusive. He also admitted a charge of failing to provide a correct statement of his affairs.
Fr O'Donovan, who is curate of Whitechurch near Blarney and formerly curate in Araglin in north Cork, also pleaded guilty to a further three charges of failing to file correct rental income statements for three tax periods between 2001 and 2002. He also admitted failure to keep proper records.
Assistant principal at the Revenue Commissioners Investigations and Prosecutions Division, Fergus Dempsey told the court that Revenue learned that Fr O'Donovan had an interest in 13 properties since 1989.
He was in receipt of rental income from at least ten of these, with most of the money coming in the form of Health Service Executive rent supplements which are paid to people who can't afford the full cost of private rental accommodation.
None of this was disclosed by Fr O'Donovan to the Revenue Commissioners. He also failed to inform the Revenue of the sale of two of the properties on which he made profits.
Judge Leo Malone imposed total fines of €6,050 on the basis that Fr O'Donovan had settled all his liabities with the revenue commissioners and no monies were outstanding to the state.