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Revenue raised €60m from offshore probes last year

Revenue raised €60m from investigations into offshore trusts and assets last year
Revenue raised €60m from investigations into offshore trusts and assets last year

The Revenue Commissioners is going to step up its focus on investigating the use of offshore locations by those seeking to avoid tax. 

In its annual report published today, the Revenue Commissioners said it will also take the same approach to data released in the Panama Papers as it has with its Offshore Assets investigations. 

Last year Revenue raised €60m from investigations into offshore trusts and assets. 

The organisation said 2016 and 2017 will see significant developments in the automatic exchange of information with tax authorities abroad. 

Last year it had its first such transfer of data with the Internal Revenue Service in the US. 

The Revenue Commissioners said it would be "carefully considering" how to make the maximum use of information sources to "identify possible cases of tax evasion using offshore structures."

In its annual report for 2015, the Revenue Commissioners said it collected €45.8 billion in tax, an increase of 10%. 

On Property Tax, it said that 97% of property owners paid last year. 

It added that it has issued 324,000 reminder letters to late payers. 

It said it had made mandatory reductions from salaries and pensions in 65,000 cases.

The Revenue Commissioners said it will be continuing to work to ensure "the profits of multinational corporations are taxed where the real business activity taxes place."

Referring to a strong voluntary compliance culture, Niall Cody, the Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners, acknowledged the contribution of individual taxpayers, businesses and tax and customs practitioners in the achievement of the organisations results.

"I am pleased to report that, for all taxes, the overwhelming majority of customers continue to pay and file on time," he stated.

Mr Cody also said that he "strongly recommends that any person or business that has used offshore financial structures to evade tax contact us and make a full disclosure before we contact them".