Vol. 521 No. 1
142 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Finance if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 259 of 10 May 2000 which stated that only 7,464 cases availed of the tax amnesty and paid a total sum of £46,856,678, whereas at the time it was stated that over £1 billion was paid in taxes on the basis of agreed settlements, he will explain the discrepancy in these figures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16340/00]
The Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act, 1993, provided for two separate amnesty schemes: an incentive amnesty under which, subject to compliance with specified conditions, certain liabilities to income tax and capital gains tax, together with interest and penalties, could be discharged by payment of 15% of the underlying income or gains on a confidential basis to the chief special collector established under the Act and a general amnesty under which other tax arrears had to be paid in full with remission only for interest and penalties.
The figures of 7,464 and £46,856,678 to which the Deputy refers relate to an analysis carried out by the Comptroller and Auditor General in relation to certain payments made under the general amnesty. The overall amount paid under the general amnesty was some £76 million.
In relation to the incentive amnesty the total receipts amounted to £185.4 million from some 38,400 individuals. In mentioning a figure of over £1 billion the Deputy may have in mind the total amount of income and gains declared to the chief special collector – about £1.2 billion – to which the 15% rate applied.
