# Department of Finance

All time

The Department of Finance spent €3.6 million on consultancy fees in the last year

Legal fees related to the Bank Guarantee account for much of the expenditure, but other consultancies cost the State around half a million euro.

3.8k

Aug 14th 2013, 6:15 AM

# Bank Guarantee

Taoiseach won't say if record-keeping methods have changed in his department

Enda Kenny has bemoaned the “paucity” of documentation in his Department related to the previous government’s decision to issue a bank guarantee in September 2008 but won’t say if record-keeping methods have changed.

6.5k

Aug 10th 2013, 9:15 AM

# Bank Guarantee

Over €5 million spent on bank guarantee legal advice since 2011

Over €5 million has been spent with one legal firm alone since 2011 on advice related to the controversial bank guarantee scheme of 2008.

7.0k

Aug 5th 2013, 7:50 PM

# Exchequer Returns

Irish Life sale boosts exchequer surplus in July

The €1.3 billion sale of Irish Life held a exchequer surplus last month of €1.43 billion as tax take in July was lower than predictions.

6.6k

Aug 2nd 2013, 5:51 PM

# Austerity

Irish Exporters Association: 2014 must be the last year of austerity

The association said that if the government succeeds in creating more jobs, more harsh cuts should not be needed.

4.4k

Jul 30th 2013, 10:23 AM

# Property Tax

Department: Property tax will not be handed to the bondholders

A report today claimed that Minister Michael Noonan said the money will be used to reduce our deficit rather than to fund local services.

7.4k

Jul 25th 2013, 6:37 PM

# Finance

Ireland "approaching best practice in fiscal reporting" - IMF

According to the IMF, Ireland’s general government fiscal data are “generally reliable”.

5.5k

Jul 16th 2013, 5:32 PM

# Tobacco

51 convictions for illegal tobacco sale and smuggling so far this year

Over 11 million cigarettes and 2,913kgs of tobacco have been seized by Revenue.

4.6k

Jul 14th 2013, 8:30 AM

# Exchequer Returns

Taxman rakes in €17.6bn in last six months despite missing excise, VAT targets

The Department of Finance said the tax profile is helped by the collection of €126 million in Property Tax receipts.

6.3k

Jul 2nd 2013, 5:34 PM

# Protest

Video: Howlin angrily pushes camera away as he is confronted over bank inquiry

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform was confronted by protesters outside the Department of Finance earlier today.

15.9k

158

Jul 1st 2013, 7:45 PM

Voices

Aaron McKenna: A fair flat tax will save you money – and save the country

Ireland’s byzantine tax system creates perverse economic incentives that allow the super rich to exploit tax loopholes that widen social inequalities – it’s time for a simple and fair tax system, writes Aaron McKenna.

Jun 15th 2013, 8:00 AM

# Tax on texts

One cent tax on texts could have raised €590m in the last five years

Estimates from the Department of Finance were based on placing a one cent tax on the 59 billion text messages that have been sent over the last five years.

12.4k

Jun 7th 2013, 9:00 PM

# minted

Ireland spends €11.8 million to mint coins worth... €7.1 million

Department of Finance figures show Ireland’s minted 713 million 1c coins since 2004 – coins which cost 1.65c to mint.

13.1k

May 29th 2013, 7:07 PM

# Counterfeit

Over 1,500 seizures of counterfeit goods have been made already this year

Finance Minister Michael Noonan said there are no proposals to increase penalties for the crime.

8.4k

May 27th 2013, 6:45 AM

# Corporation Tax

Revenue and Finance Department deny tax deal with Apple

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore claims Ireland’s tax system is “very transparent”.

6.6k

May 21st 2013, 11:55 AM

# bank debts

Ireland's banks are borrowing less and less from the ECB

New figures show Ireland’s banks are now less reliant on emergency loans than at any other time since September 2008.

7.9k

May 20th 2013, 5:33 PM

# NAMA

The NAMA advisors who work for free cost €23,000 last year

Hotels, travel and subsistence cost meant that the NAMA advisory group, which works pro-bono, cost thousands of euro last year.

11.5k

May 13th 2013, 2:45 PM

# Cabinet chatter

Howlin: 'Many an important economic issue resolved over a mug of tea'

Brendan Howlin says it would be impossible for one minister to deal with the workload he shares with Michael Noonan.

5.4k

May 12th 2013, 7:30 AM

# Media Relations

NTMA paid PR company €630,000 to "keep taxpayers in the dark"

NAMA and NTMA paid more than €630,000 to one media relations company since 2010

16.1k

May 9th 2013, 7:05 AM

# Irish Stability Programme

Opponents say Irish Stability Programme Update is further proof that austerity isn't working

Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty said that government’s reduced forecast had shown that its current policy of austerity was not working.

10.5k

Apr 30th 2013, 8:46 PM

# Cheques 'n Balances

One Irish town to experiment with scrapping 1c and 2c coins

The Central Bank’s new ‘National Payments Plan’ says Ireland could save €1bn by using more electronic payments.

21.6k

Apr 24th 2013, 3:19 PM

# Freedom of Information

Labour MEPs call on government to release information about IBRC liquidation

MEP Phil Prendergast said that “a blanket refusal policy would serve only to heighten distrust in government and in the ECB.”

6.1k

Apr 22nd 2013, 5:05 PM

# Maastricht returns

Deficit beats Troika target but debt-to-GDP ratio to be higher this year

The Department of Finance has revised its deficit target for 2013 in light of better than expected figures in the latest Maastricht returns.

5.3k

Apr 22nd 2013, 11:34 AM

# Banking Crisis

Committee to discuss banking crisis with Dept of Finance and Central Bank

The committee will meet this morning with officials from the Dept of Finance and Central Bank of Ireland

3.7k

Apr 4th 2013, 7:30 AM

# EU Budget

Ireland likely to contribute additional €100 million due to EU budget shortfall

THE EU is looking for an additional €11.2 billion from its member states to cover unpaid claims from 2012.

7.7k

Mar 28th 2013, 9:57 AM

# Good News

Eurozone ministers: We'll change repayment date for Ireland's bailout loans

The Department of Finance says the move will make it easier for Ireland to emerge from the bailout programme.

6.0k

Mar 16th 2013, 10:24 AM

# Property Tax

Property tax: Seller faces €500 fine if they under-declare value of home

A buyer who discovers that the person who sold them the house under-declared its value when paying the tax will be required to inform Revenue which will then pursue the seller, the Department of Finance said.

10.1k

Feb 14th 2013, 7:54 AM

# Promissory notes

Ireland and the ECB reach a deal on promissory note - report

“We have not received formal confirmation of precisely what is to be agreed,” Ruairí Quinn told the Dáil.

11.9k

Feb 7th 2013, 12:38 PM

# Prom Night

Hayes: "Substantial contingency planning" by government on IBRC

He also said that Ireland is the most likely country to get back to the markets due to the “extraordinary patience and hard work” of its people over the last five years.

3.9k

Feb 7th 2013, 10:40 AM

# Exchequer Returns

Exchequer figures show slight fall in government income in January

A €1 billion sale of Bank of Ireland notes means Ireland recorded an Exchequer surplus for January 2013.

4.3k

Feb 4th 2013, 5:05 PM

# Promissory notes

Everything you need to know about the promissory notes, but were afraid to ask

You have been and will be hearing a lot about promissory notes in the coming weeks but what’s it all about? We’ve taken your questions, come up with some of our own and asked the experts…

38.2k

Feb 3rd 2013, 8:00 AM

# Money Money Money

Here is how much was won on Prize Bonds last year

The amount has increased significantly over the past three years as people sought safe places to put their money.

15.5k

Feb 3rd 2013, 7:45 AM

# Tobacco

MEP criticises two government departments over tobacco industry meetings

The Department of Finance said each year its officials meet with representatives of all industries in the run up to the Budget.

4.4k

Jan 28th 2013, 3:32 PM

# Lifesaving

Government says it can't remove VAT on defibrillators

“Taxing defibrillators is like putting a tax on saving lives”: the 23 per cent VAT rate which Government says can’t be lifted because of an EU directive.

9.7k

Jan 26th 2013, 8:00 AM

# Bailout

Eurozone finance ministers agree to examine Ireland's loan repayments

The deal has been hailed by finance minister Michael Noonan as having the potential to save Ireland billions of euro.

5.9k

125

Jan 22nd 2013, 8:32 AM

# Bailout

ECB borrowing by Irish banks at lowest level since September 2008

Having reached its peak immediately after the bailout November 2010, the share of the total ECB funding by banks is now 6.3 per cent.

6.6k

Jan 17th 2013, 8:10 PM

# Prime Numbers

Transport, texts and telecommuting: The week in numbers

How many SMS messages are sent in Ireland every second? And how many times could Greece buy Sergio Aguero?

6.0k

Dec 15th 2012, 7:30 PM

# hoax call

Department of Finance issues warning over hoax calls offering €2,000 refund

The caller tells recipients they are due the refund but will need to deposit €250 into a bank account in order to receive it.

9.0k

Dec 13th 2012, 4:51 PM

# Budget 2014

Prospect of October Budget welcomed amid calls for more open process

Budget 2013 is less than a week old but already thoughts are turning to Budget 2014 and the possibility it could be held earlier than December next year.

5.8k

Dec 10th 2012, 6:45 AM

# Alternative budgets

Opposition parties hit back at criticism of their alternative budgets

The government claims neither of the two main opposition parties had their pre-budget submissions fully costed but this has been described as a “complete red herring” by Fianna Fáil.

4.1k

Dec 8th 2012, 7:30 AM