Italy has introduced a tax amnesty with tax payable at 5% on amounts declared (even if through a fiduciary company). Italian authorities estimate that some € 600/700 BN is ‘overseas’ representing approx 50% of the national debt.
Would there be much for the ROI lads to expect in a similar operation? Much needed tax windfall and a flow of funds back to ROI?
There have been three tax amnesties in the last ten years as far as I can recollect.
Isn’t it time that tax evaders were jailed?
Oh sorry, you were talking about Ireland, where tax evasion is a national sport. Its a bit like hurling, practised by a few with great skill, watched by many with great envy.
There is one thing that reallys pisses me off is the assumption that the self employed are tax dogers. We are not.
I have operated, at a great cost to me,on the princple that I would always be tax compliant. The taxman can come visit me at any time, as I know that I have rendered to cesear. In fact the fuckers probably owe me.
There was endemic tax evasion in the 1980s because tax rates were punative, but it wasnt restricted to the self employed. Everybody was at it. We are repeating the mistake. Punative taxation will equal evasion.
Jail the tax evaders, but dont ignore the huge mass of people that engage in it. We will need a lot of prisions.
Sincerely
An Honest Taxpayer
Indeed. Labelling broad sections of the population with sweeping generalisations is never to be encouraged… 
My, my, we are tetchy.
I don’t recall mentioning self employed people in my post. Why so sensitive?
I’ve had enough of being an honest taxpayer.
Look where our taxes are going.
No they weren’t. I don’t know if you understand how the PAYE system works but it provides little room for tax evasion. The tax evasion of the '80 was carried out by the moneyed classes simply due to the fact that they had more scope and resources to facilitate that evasion. It was your Sean & Mary PAYE worker who took the brunt of the “putative” tax rates.
And anyway I don’t buy the fact that it was simply due to “punitive” tax rates. It has more to do with the Me Fein/beggar-thy-neighbor culture running through Irish society.
So how could we stage a tax revolt, pay due tax to escrow until transparency and accountability are achieved?
Do people know the difference between tax evasion and tax avoidance? If we were to punish tax evaders, then ever southern in the north would have to be jailed.
In other news, Bertie’s landlord has bought a house in St. Lucia
I remember lots of Seans & Marys who got their basic with their PAYE slip and then anything extra in another brown envelope. Mostly Sean & Mary didn’t want to extra work if they were required to pay the full tax… or that’s how I remember it anyway!