Mario Rosenstock and Denis Desmond in six-figure tax-defaulter deals

Comedian and promoter make settlements with Revenue worth €118,663 and €701,025

Companies linked to comedian Mario Rosenstock and promoter Denis Desmond made six-figure deals with the Revenue Commissioners, according to the latest tax defaulters' list.

The list published on Tuesday shows that 66 taxpayers paid €8.88 million in tax, interest and penalties in the three months ended June 30th, arising out of various Revenue investigations.

Gaiety Investments, controlled by promoters Denis Desmond and Caroline Downey, made the largest settlement on the list, €701,025 for under declaring income tax, PRSI and the universal social charge.

The total comprised €384,799 tax, €200,786 interest and €115,440 in penalties.

READ MORE

Gaiety Investments recently sold 50 per cent of music promoter MCD to global behemoth Live Nation. MCD is one of Europe’s biggest promoters and has staged concerts for international stars such as Madonna and U2.

The company backed a series of warm-up gigs for Irish singer Hozier to advertise his new EP.

Blue Elf Inc Ltd, owned by comedian Mario Rosenstock, paid €118,663.80 for under declaring income tax, social insurance and the universal social charge.

Mr Rosenstock came to prominence for parodying the likes of former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, one-time Boyzone front man Ronan Keating and Roy Keane on Gift Grub, on Today FM's Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show.

Blue Elf’s settlement comprised €78,236.40 in tax, €16,956.48 interest €23,470 penalties.

The list also includes the recent €15,000 fine that independent TD, Michael Lowry, paid after he and his refrigeration company, Garuda, were convicted of filing incorrect corporation tax returns and failing to keep proper books of account.

A pair of connected businesses, Corcoran Food Machines Ltd and Corcoran Shop Equipment Ltd, both of Upper Rock Street, Tralee, Co Kerry, paid a total of €495,456.

Corcoran Food Machines, a supplier of catering equipment, paid €364,275 in tax, interest and penalties for under declaring income tax and VAT following a Revenue audit. An audit also resulted in Corcoran Shop Equipment paying €131,181 for under declaring corporation and income tax, social insurance and the universal social charge.

Medical consultant Joseph Hughes, of number 6, the Demesne, Adare Manor, Co Limerick, paid€134,838.29 for under declaring income tax as a result of a Revenue audit.

The tax due was €67,863.27. Interest of €39,829.72 and more than €27,000 in penalties accounted for the rest of Mr Hughes’s settlement.

Oyther to feature on the list included Dawson Jewellers, which settled a €70,370 bill relating to VAT for a total of €113,588 following an audit. Dublin tea broker, Fitzpatricks, with an address in Terenure, was found to have underpaid a total of €55,565 under a numbert of tax headings following an audit. It paid €83,904 in full settlement.

Nunzio Magliocco, who runs the Ballybofey Grill in the Donegal town of the same name, paid €336,404 for under declaring income tax, VAT and social insurance while Galway motor dealer, Vehicle Wholesalers Ltd, care of Oliver Walsh Motor Group Ltd, Kilcolgan, Co Galway, settled for a total of €440,000 for under declaring VAT.

The Revenue publishes a list of tax defaulters every three months covering all settlements of more than €35,000.

Anyone who has settled with the Revenue as a result of a qualifying disclosure, that is voluntarily telling the authority about unpaid tax, does not have their name published.

Barry O'Halloran

Barry O'Halloran

Barry O’Halloran covers energy, construction, insolvency, and gaming and betting, among other areas