Full coverage: Tax

Judges in Luxembourg have found that the European Commission failed to prove Irish tax deals with Apple were illegal. The main reason? Investigators didn’t go far enough in their probing of the Revenue’s “incomplete and occasionally inconsistent” rulings.

Thousands of tip-offs, covert surveillance and “streetscape” sweeps feed into the fight against the “shadow economy”. Exclusive figures reveal that hundreds of professionals feature alongside builders, landlords and retailers among the taxman’s targets.

Since the crisis began, the Revenue Commissioners have halted audit work, allowed firms to warehouse debt and rolled out the state’s wage subsidy scheme. In an exclusive interview, its chairman Niall Cody talks about Covid-19, multinational tax structures and the Revenue’s battle against tax avoidance.

An Irish subsidiary of professional software multinational Cadence recently disclosed new balance sheet data in routine filings associated with a merger. They showed its assets had just jumped by $4.7 billion.

The principle established in this pathfinder case – that a retiring partner can make tax-efficient arrangements to exit the firm – will have implications for hundreds of partnerships around the country.

A major accountancy firm paid older partners to leave and clear the way for new talent. However, in a dispute that has implications for hundreds of other partnerships, Revenue is challenging the tax status of the payments. A High Court case looms.

In my evidence to the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee, I explained that we must consider tax rises to bridge the €30bn deficit and fund a €20bn stimulus. In a crisis, all bets are off, and all avenues of revenue-raising should be considered.

To understand how vulture fund Cerberus manages billions of euros’ worth of Irish assets, you must look to Baarn, a small town 45 minutes away from Amsterdam. From there, you will see just how the fund is managing to flatline its tax bill, a two-month investigation by The Currency can reveal.

One of the world’s leading manufacturers of electronic components has just invested another $1.5 billion in its Irish subsidiary and reported tax benefits dwarfing its actual profits for the second straight year. Could the two be related?

The Revenue Commissioners are examining a number of cases where partners in law firms have lowered their income tax bills by sheltering profits in service companies. How does it work? And what happens next?