Irish Labour Party Issues Plea Over Tax Fraud
Speaking on Tuesday, deputy leader of the Irish Labour Party, Liz McManus argued
that the government's focus on thwarting social welfare fraud contrasts sharply
with its laissez-faire attitude towards those who commit tax fraud. Drawing figures from both the Department of Social Affairs' annual report and
that of the Revenue Commission, Ms McManus revealed that whilst 210 cases of
social welfare fraud were tried in the criminal courts last year (resulting
in 11 custodial and 17 suspended sentences), just seven convictions for serious
tax evasion were secured during the same period, of which fines were imposed
in six cases, and a suspended sentence in the other. “It is very interesting that we have such effective methods of dealing with
social welfare fraud but when it comes to tax, people are in effect, getting
away with it,” she charged, continuing: “The Ansbacher Report, published in July 2002, revealed a detailed web of criminality,
yet two years on there has not been a single prosecution.” The Labour deputy leader went on to add that: “The double standards are clear and the law has got to be applied equally.
Such reports suggest that if you are poor you will feel the full rigour of the
law but if you have a more powerful position in society you can escape prosecutions
and jail sentences.” .
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