Tax amnesty returns to haunt politicians

As Jim Culliton became the first casualty of the fallout from the authorised officer's report into Ansbacher (Cayman) Ltd, it was interesting to see the very politicians involved in the 1993 tax amnesty - the second in five years - rush to record their reservations about the move at the time.

Far from a united cabinet, it appears the proposal was supported in the main only by the then Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds. This week we learned it was opposed not only by Revenue Commissioners, the Attorney General, the Labour ministers, two out of three independent experts and even the then minister for finance, Bertie Ahern.

It says something for the force of Albert's personality then that the proposal went ahead at all.

All this sudden bashfulness by our political leaders in taking the kudos for an exercise that uncovered up to £1.6 billion in "hot money" has not infected the Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney, who has spearheaded the investigations into Ansbacher.

Having cast the finger of suspicion on all those 120 named in the report, she rebuffed the opportunity to adopt a more diplomatic tone a day later reasserting there was some evidence against all those named.