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Twitter/DesmondHayes
# Hands Up
A Renua candidate on the tax defaulters list says he wants to 'be accountable to others'
Desmond Hayes says he wants to be open about his mistakes.
A RENUA GENERAL election candidate says he is appealing a fine that saw him feature on the latest tax defaulters list.
Desmond Hayes is running for the party in Limerick City and is appealing the €1,250 fine saying it relates to issues connected with a marriage breakdown.
Hayes, who is himself an accountant and tax consultant, was fined for the failure to lodge an income tax return.
In statement to TheJournal.ie, Hayes said that he missed the filing date of the return because of delay in the family courts system:
It was a private family matter following marriage breakdown which I had brought to the attention of the Revenue as an expression of doubt prior to filing the income tax return. Due to the long list in the family law courts the matter was heard after the date of filing had passed.
Hayes said that he was made aware that his name was listed on the tax defaulter’s list today and that he wanted to be up front about the issue.
“I will be accountable to others and not seek to hide my work or disguise my mistakes and when mistakes are made I will step forward and claim them for my own should they be of my making,” he said, making reference to his party’s code of ethics.
Another of those on the tax defaulter’s list is former University of Limerick tax lecture Mel Kilkenny whowent on Liveline this afternoon to explain his situation.
Kilkenny was hit for €284,000 by Revenue after an audit that found an undeclaration of income. This, he says, came from an initial mistake of omission that got bigger and bigger.
“I have done wrong, I have embarrassed my family I have mortified my family. I’m not trying to get any absolution about what happened,” he said.
The biggest single tax settlement was by Cork publican Billy O’Flynn who revenue say owes a total of €3.07 million in back tax, interest and penalties.
Read: Tax lecturer pays €285,000 to Revenue over undeclared taxes >
Read: Santa caught in tax sting by inspectors posing as parents >
