Politicians are calling on the Irish musicians, actors, business people and companies revealed in the ‘Paradise Papers’ to pay their fair share of tax.The revelations coming from the papers will ‘stick in the craw of working people’ according to Fianna Fail.
Mrs. Brown’s Boys, AIB, Bank Of Ireland, Bono and the Apple corporation are all the talk of Leinster house today as the Cabinet meets and TDs return from the Autumn recess. Fianna Fail’s Finance spokesperson, Michael McGrath says the paradise papers on complex offshore tax arrangements shine a light on those not living up to their responsibilities;
“Most ordinary people who are getting up early in the morning – who are going to work and people who are paying tax – they want to know that people are paying their fair share and I think if you are a tax resident in Ireland then you should not be availing of complex offshore structures to avoid your responsibilities to the state.”
Deputy McGrath says Fianna Fail still supports the government in continuing to appeal the €13 billion euro Apple tax judgement and that issue should not be mixed into the paradise papers. But there is major annoyance in politics that AIB continued to target customers who wanted to avoid paying tax after it had been bailed to the tune of €7 billion by the taxpayer..
“I think it will stick in the craw of the Irish people who paid a huge price for the bank bailout, after bailing out AIB, that they continued this practice of facilitating tax avoidance.”
The Taoiseach and Minister for Finance are both due in the Dail this afternoon and this evening.
