The general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Mr Peter Cassells, has sought an urgent meeting with the Minister for Finance to discuss new proposals to tackle tax evasion. Mr Cassells told Mr McCreevy in his letter: "Much tougher measures need to be taken against tax cheats and those who facilitate them."
The ICTU is calling for the establishment of a division of the courts to deal with fraud and tax evasion cases "quickly and more effectively".
It wants a declaration from the Minister to the Revenue Commissioners and the judiciary that "the full rigours of the law, including imprisonment, [will] be applied to tax evaders and to those who facilitate evasion".
It is also calling for legislation to debar from practice any tax consultant or legal or financial adviser found to have facilitated tax evasion and for more Revenue staff to be allocated to carrying out audits of the State's main financial institutions. Anyone providing services to the State or receiving State aid should be obliged to show that their tax affairs are in order.
"The Government must give a firm lead in rooting out the `nod-and-wink' attitude to tax-dodging which is rapidly eroding public confidence in our tax system," Mr Cassells said.