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Mary Davis releases full tax filings – and encourages other candidates to follow suit

Image: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

Updated, 16.19

PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL Mary Davis has released her P60 tax filings for each of the last three years, in a bid to address controversy over her tenure on the boards of two dozen state, corporate and charity boards.

In a statement this lunchtime, Davis said she was putting “all of the information in relation to every body I have worked with or given advice to during my adult working life” into the public domain – and called on others to do likewise.

Davis clarified that all of the data she had published was already in the public domain, and that she was merely collating it for the purposes of transparency.

Speculation about her earnings from state boards and other companies has been rife since a report in Saturday’s Irish Independent, which estimated that she had earned some €190,000 through appointment to state boards.

The P60s – which cover each of the last three calendar years – detail Davis’s earnings for each of the last three years, including her salary from her Special Olympics appointments and other appointments:

  • 2010: Gross pay of €156,310; paying €9,912 in employee’s PRSI and €56,248.08 in income tax
  • 2009: Gross pay of €149,107; paying €8.396.61 in employee’s PRSI and €53,295.05 in income tax
  • 2008: Gross pay of €138,167.14; paying €2,644.28 in employee’s PRSI and €51,562.53 in income tax

In accompanying documents Davis outlined her earnings for her appointments to state boards and the boards of other private companies.

Davis earned €183,083.82 from appointments to the Dublin Airport Authority, the Broadcast Commission of Ireland and the National Sports Campus Development Authority, having sat on the latter board since 2000 and the others since 2004.

From her status as a director on non-state boards, Davis also earned:

  • €133,641.86 from ICS Building Society, owned by Bank of Ireland, between 2004 and 2010
  • €18,750 from Bank of Ireland Mortgage Bank in 2010
  • €55,158 from the Irish Times Trust between 2006 and 2011

Davis said her work with 18 other organisations had been “on an entirely voluntary capacity”.

Davis said she was “very happy for my history to be an open book” and said it was “only right and proper that the same standards of transparency be applied every other candidate in the race”:

Choosing a Head of State is an important matter, and I believe that the people should make that choice with their eyes open. This is the case for me, and also for every other candidate in this race.

A spokesperson for Davis later explained that her status as a director of Bank of Ireland Mortgage Bank had been omitted from a list of appointments on her website simply as a result of human error.

Responding to requests that other candidates also publish their tax filings, a spokesperson for Sean Gallagher said he would not be commenting on his financial information “at this point”.

It is expected, however, that Gallagher will issue a statement on the matter later today.

A spokesperson for David Norris said he had “no problem” issuing his financial details; other candidates had yet to return contact at the time of publication.

A Labour Party spokesperson, meanwhile, said that Higgins’s earnings and pension entitlements as a minister and TD were already on the public record.

Download and read Davis’s documents in full:

Elsewhere: McGuinness slams FG’s ‘black propaganda and dirty tricks’ >

Diary: Where the #Aras11 candidates will be today

In full: TheJournal.ie’s coverage of the Race for the Áras >

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Comments (54 Comments)

  • Derek Larney 03/10/11 #
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    This election is really getting dragged into the mire by the FF-FG-Lab and media establishment.

    Reply
  • Chris Mansfield 03/10/11 #
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    She was on the a director of ICS when Fingleton was at work?!?!?

    With that kind of oversight history, how could she possibly make a good President?

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  • patrickbaxter 03/10/11 #
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    Fair Play to Davis disclosing all this information.
    What is the tax status of Dana, McGuinness and Gallagher?
    What about Higgins, Norris and Mitchell and their Oireachtas/MEP expenses?

    Reply
  • Eileen Gabbett 03/10/11 #
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    I still won’t vote for her

    Reply
    • John Needham 03/10/11 #
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      Still miffed over her locking up the coucils during nominations myself.

    • patrickbaxter 03/10/11 #
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      locking up councils? Know the facts and the law before airing your ignorance on here.

    • John Needham 03/10/11 #
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      How polite. As I understand it she had the option to allow them to decline voting for her after she had the required numbers, they had only voted on propsed motions, not actual nominations. If thats the case then what she did was blocking other indpendant candidates from recieving nominations.

    • Máirín 04/10/11 #
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      Highlighting issues as one perceives them does not constitute campaigning … TYPICAL IRISH RESPONSE … That’s why we are where we are !!!!

  • Kelly McCarthy 03/10/11 #
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    A good move by Mary which will earn her a lot of support. Now if only Norris would reveal what’s in his secret letters.

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  • Adam Magari 03/10/11 #
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    But what did she actually do as a director of these various bodies? That is the more important question. Did she oppose or support ICS mortgage loan policies? The recent report onto the banking collapse blamed groupthink and consensus for many of the problems. Maybe Davis was apart from all that. It would be useful to know where she stood on credit expansion by BOI during her time on ICS.

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  • Reada Quinn 03/10/11 #
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    This is appalling her being pressured into this. Most of these moaners giving out about her never did a day’s work volunteering. It makes me sick the way everyone was giving out about her being paid. Everyone is entitled to get paid FGS. Don’t like the photos tho. I’m still leaning towards Michael D Higgins. Anyway…

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    • Eileen Gabbett 03/10/11 #
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      Reada … Volunteering means you don’t get paid ….

    • Reada Quinn 03/10/11 #
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      @ Eileen Gabbett. Thanks for telling me that. Not like there was a clue in the word volunteering. My point was that it’s pathetic the way people are giving out about her getting paid for doing good work. It’s not like people should not get paid for doing charity work. She did do some unpaid work too. I’m not going to vote for her but it is really irritating the way she’s expected to work for nothing while all the other candidates can earn a wage without all the vitriol.

    • Eileen Gabbett 03/10/11 #
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      http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/volunteervolunteer NOUN
      ˌvɒlənˈtɪə(r) ˌvɑːlənˈtɪr

      1 a person who does a job without being paid for it
      volunteer helpers
      Schools need volunteers to help children to read.
      2 a person who offers to do something without being forced to do it
      Are there any volunteers to help clear up?
      3 a person who chooses to join the armed forces without being forced to join

    • Reada Quinn 04/10/11 #
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      Jesus you’re some rip Eileen. Bet you’re a teacher. A national school teacher. You don’t even have an option to reply after your put down comments. Anyway some new scandal broke tonight re Mary awarding contract from some board she was on to her husband’s company. All over for her. Just as well I’m backing Higgins.

    • Eileen Gabbett 04/10/11 #
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      Reada @ Ha ha … Your gas yourself . No I am not any of those you suggested ! I Like Higgins and I wish him luck ! I am more inclined, not fully decided yet , towards Martin Mc Guinness and no I am not a Nationalist or republican or Sinn Feiner. I reckon he is a brilliant statesman and has great potential, the more I hear the more I like . I am however giving my number 2 to Higgins.You have a good day Reada.

    • Reada Quinn 04/10/11 #
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      @ Eileen. Nothing wrong with being a republican or a nationalist. I’m both. New day today. Plenty more fish to fry!

  • Michael Hegarty 03/10/11 #
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    Let me get this right….. Since the start of the recession, in which disability services are being destroyed by cuts, Mary Davis, the "champion" of the intellectually disabled, has had a pay INCREASE of ?18,000?? My God, that lady has balls to stand for office!!!!!

    Reply
    • Rosie Phelan 03/10/11 #
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      I see she went from managing 1 country (Ireland) to 58 countries( Europe/Eurasia) Probably reasonable that there was pay increase??!

    • patrickbaxter 03/10/11 #
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      Clearly you are clueless about salaries. FF/FG/LAB/SF – politicians the “champions” of the people i.e. elected reps still got pay increases. Dont have a go at Davis becuase she got paid for doing a pretty good job.

    • fitszpatrick 03/10/11 #
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      If that lady has balls she could split the Norris vote

  • Andrew McCarthy 03/10/11 #
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    Hang on, are you sure you mean P60 and not Form 11?

    Reply
  • John Murphy 03/10/11 #
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    This means nothing! So she paid her taxes – good girl!

    What bothers me is the sleazy trail that most likely led to her appointment to these boards and banks. Bank of Ireland mortgage no less!! Hope no 100% mortgages passed under her nose!

    Distressed mortgage holders of Ireland take note of who is looking for your vote.

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    • Cormac Flanagan 03/10/11 #
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      She would have nothing to do with the granting of mortgages.

    • Cormac Flanagan 03/10/11 #
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      And I am a struggling mortgage holder who has it through BOI and I’m not going to hold it against MD. I picked the house, looked for the mortgage and signed the papers.

    • John Murphy 03/10/11 #
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      Don’t you think I know that Cormac. That would have meant doing some work for the money.
      She sat on a board. Would someone tell me what that might entail and what is the selection process for the position?

      I think there’s a considerable difference between struggling to pay your mortgage and NOT being able to pay it.
      However I’m glad that you are of the former variety and wish you best of luck in maintaining that position.

    • Brian Daly 03/10/11 #
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      What’s wrong with being appointed to a board and getting paid for it? Also, while 100% mortgages are unwise, there’s nothing wrong with them per se in a regulated and ordered market. Board would may not have been aware of the crazy selling that was happening down the line. Plus consumers didn’t have to accept 100% mortgages.

    • John Murphy 03/10/11 #
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      Nothing at all wrong with being appointed to a board or indeed being paid for it Brian.

      What I refer to is the nepotism, favoritism, and other influences used beyond the ability or suitability of some people for these jobs. i am also concerned about the multiplicity of boards that some people can be on, sometimes with conflicting interest. Many of these boards are related to public bodies and are political appointments of questionable intent. Oh! and there is the ‘nest feathering’ typical of appointments made by outgoing governments.

    • John Murphy 03/10/11 #
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      Oh! And another thing Brian.

      While 100% mortgages may not be the worst of crimes as individuals took them out willingly.
      But your properly regulated and orderly market did not exist when most mortgages now in trouble were entered into. Are You For Real?

    • fitszpatrick 03/10/11 #
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      She was on the board that approved 100% mortgages

  • Dermot D 03/10/11 #
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    When Mary Davis was asked about whether she thinks the President should be paid less, she stated that she wasn’t interested in pay as she had worked for most of her life in the “voluntary sector”. This was a misleading statement. Clearly Mary Davis was happy to take a six figure salary from her role at Special Olympics, plus further payments from other state and non state boards (including banks). I understand that a position as head of Special Olympics Eurasia is a demanding role, but €165,000 seems like a very excessive salary. I think this will damage her.

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  • Ken Mc Fadden 03/10/11 #
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    She was clever to get all the info out today when the media concentrating on SF v FG taking lumps out of each other, a good day to release bad news, it will be forgotten by tea time. Norris letters still not going away, and rightly so.

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  • Dermot Keady 03/10/11 #
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    Now its time for her to tell us how much Special K are paying her for those election posters!

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  • Conor Kirwan 03/10/11 #
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    Great! Mary Davis has made full disclosure of money that she has earned in a completely above-board manner and is fully tax compliant. Now can we please move forward from the mud-raking and stupidity and engage in proper debate. Not once have I heard anything mentioned in the wider media about what any of the candidates plan to do with the office of president.

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  • Bren Adams 03/10/11 #
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    As you can see she was a good friend of Bertie & Co and the Galway Tent Mob If she is not Fianna Fail who is

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  • Frank2521 03/10/11 #
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    At least she is not a member of the IRA
    I still haven’t made up my mind about her but I wish she would avoid false advertising with a 20 year old picture on her posters. Mind you the rest are not much better. So much for an honest president.

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  • Jon Jo Ha 03/10/11 #
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    wow so she proves what by this? is the her ‘i have nothing to hide’? its irrelevant to me

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  • Anthony O'Donnell 03/10/11 #
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    What did she have to do to get appointed to these boards , how can i get on this gravy train.

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  • Ronan McDonnell 03/10/11 #
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    I find the disclosure a bit cynical, as if it implies something sinister about the other candidates who don’t wish to have their private lives exposed to such needless scrutiny. Why didn’t she just say there was no wrong-doing of hers? Surely we can assume, unless there are concrete indications instead of weak insinuations to the contrary, that there is no impropriety in any of the candidates earnings? As regards the implication that Mary Davis earned money on various boards, well I assume she did; there are few people who accept jobs that don’t pay.
    I for one don’t particularly care what the earnings of the candidates are. It makes no difference to my electoral choice.

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  • Michael Hegarty 03/10/11 #
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    She could now possibly damage Special Olympics Ireland. People will naturally find it harder to put their hand in their pocket to support a charity knowing its CEO it on enormous money. I hope Im wrong.

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    • Brian Daly 03/10/11 #
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      She’s not on enormous money as a CEO that involves work across 56 countries. I would have thought she’s on a fair salary for the work she does. Shouldn’t have gone up between ’09 and ’10 though unless there was a dramatic increase in responsibility and workload.

    • Ryan Allen 03/10/11 #
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      It’s a dilemma many charities face:

      Scenario 1: Pay a high salary to a superb CEO who’s good at their job, rake in lots of funding and be accused of wasting the money of those who donated.
      Scenario 2: Pay considerably less to an average CEO, don’t earn as much is funding and be accused of not doing enough by those in need of help.

    • Máirín 05/10/11 #
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      My worry also…. Special Olympics is close to the hearts of all democratic nations and I hope she does not damage the cause

  • Bren Adams 03/10/11 #
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    They say the IRA robed the Northern Bank
    Fianna Fail robed every Bank in the country and we the taxpayers are left to pick up the tab

    Reply
  • ian mc dermott 03/10/11 #
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    So . . . . she’s just another leech on the backs of the hard working Irish PAYE worker

    Reply

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