asked the Minister for Finance the total amount of VAT paid by the Irish subsidiaries of the multi-national oil companies for the year ended March, 1973 and for the period 1st April to 31st December, 1973.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - VAT Returns.
100.
It would be contrary to secrecy obligations to disclose any information about the liability to tax of a small group of companies. For that reason, I regret I cannot supply the information requested by the Deputy.
In what way would it breach confidentiality to give a global figure?
Because of the small number of companies involved.
That is a ridiculous answer.
Perhaps Deputy Wilson believes that the principle of confidentiality should be discontinued.
I resent that insinuation. How could there be a breach if a global figure was given?
Is it not true that the multi-national companies comprise only three and that everybody knows who they are?
The Deputy is giving information, not seeking it.
What Deputy Wilson has suggested would make it very simple for people in rival firms to estimate the individual amounts involved.
That is ridiculous.
101.
asked the Minister for Finance the amount of taxation collected from VAT in excess of budget forecasts.
The budget Estimate of net receipts from value-added tax was £119,300,000. The net receipts for the period from April 1st, 1973, to January 31st, 1974, were £115,140,000 approximately.
102.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the additional revenue which accrued up to 31st December, 1973, from the increases in rates of VAT announced in the last budget relative to the amounts estimated at that time.
The revised VAT structure provided for a complete removal of tax from food and oral medicine together with a compensatory upward adjustment of rates in respect of other items, with effect from 3rd September, 1973.
The receipts from VAT in November and December, 1973, which related to the first two months of transactions at the revised rates were £1.4 million less than the receipts in September and October in respect of the last two months of transactions at the old rates.