IRISH PEOPLE do not think that tax cheats are serious wrongdoers and regard drink drivers and fraudulent accountants as bigger criminals, according to a new study.
The study, which surveyed public opinion in Ireland, the United States, France and the United Kingdom, found that Ireland still has a high tolerance level for people who do not pay their taxes.
The survey has been carried out by Dr Hughlene Burton of the University of North Carolina, Professor Stewart Karlinsky of San Jose State University and Dr Sheila Killian from the University of Limerick.
The findings were presented at the weekend to the annual Tax Research Networkconference which took place at NUI Galway, the first time in its 17 years history that the event has taken place outside the UK.
Dr Burton said that they presented respondents in the four countries with 20 different crimes and asked for them to be graded by the public in order of most serious.
Crimes such as murder, rape and child molestation were regarded as the most serious in each of the countries.
"The respondents came from a varied background and we presented them with a list of offences in order to establish where they viewed tax evasion," said Dr Burton. The study found that of the six white collar crimes listed - accounting fraud, insider trading, violation of minimum wage laws, tax evasion and welfare fraud - not paying taxes was regarded as the least serious in all four countries.
However, the study found that it is regarded as less serious in Ireland than elsewhere.
Indeed, shoplifting in Ireland is regarded as just as serious while violation of minimum wage laws is seen as a much more serious offence.
An interesting discovery of the study was that drink driving is viewed as being a more serious crime in this country than the UK, France or the United States.