February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Letters have been sent out to the 30,000, demanding that they declare their accounts.
Where settlements amount to more than euro 12,700, the names of the account holders will be published in the Iris Oifig_il, together with details of their total tax liability.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Revenue Commissioners said several of these cases are being examined to determine whether the account holders should face prosecution.
The Revenue Commissioners chairman, Frank Daly, last week issued a stern warning to individuals who held bogus non-resident accounts and who have still not come forward.
“The sooner people face up to this the better,” he said. “The interest clock is ticking and if bogus account holders foolishly choose to keep their heads down instead of responding within the 60-day period, they face the very real prospect of investigation with a view to prosecution.”
A group calling itself the Reaction Group for Non-Resident Account Holders said people were exposed and unsupported after the banks decided to inform the Revenue of their account details.
“We feel the banks have been less than supportive of their customers and this latest action by Revenue is going to heighten people’s anxieties,” a statement issued on behalf of the Cork-based group said.