AN end to the "unacceptable face of business" was demanded by the Minister of State for Commerce, Science and Technology, Mr Pat Rabbitte.
In an obvious reference to the Dunnes payments inquiry, Mr Rabbitte said recent events had provided a glimpse into tax evasion. It was a world of "offshore accounts, Byzantine, impossible to crack networks of shell companies, nominee accounts and exotic trails to sometimes unknown corners of the world".
The true purpose and obscenity of tax amnesties were now evident to all and those who vehemently opposed them had been vindicated.
"The great difficulty to date with all of this was that it was underground, the white collar, legal business community's version of the drugs trail and the machinations of the crime lords to hide their ill gotten wealth.
"It is vitally necessary - if we are ever to build a fair, equitable and efficient tax system that can command the support and trust of all citizens - to examine the evidence now emerging with a view to establishing clearly what must be done.
Mr Rabbitte was speaking during a series of debates on current issues.
Delegates welcomed the abolition of water charges, with Mr Tony Wright, of Dungarvan, Co Waterford, urging vigilance because Ms Mary Harney and the Progressive Democrats wanted to bring them back.
On the North, the conference called for an unconditional restoration of the IRA ceasefire to facilitate all party talks.
There was also a demand for a political referendum in the North to identify issues which would secure cross party and cross community support, with Ms Mary McMahon, from Belfast, claiming that the problem had defied resolution using conventional democratic methods.
