The Gaelic Players' Association is threatening to mount public protests at Leinster House and TDs' offices because of the decision by the Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy to reject their proposals for tax allowances for inter-county players.

GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell has also disagreed with comments made on the subject by GAA president Seán Kelly, who yesterday called for a committee to be formed to consider the matter at further length.

In a statement, the GPA expressed its anger at the Minister's decision. Noting that players were "furious at this most recent setback for an initiative enjoying widespread support throughout the political and sporting arenas," the association went on to warn of the consequences.

"Indeed, such is the anger from within the ranks of the playing body," continued the statement, "that a call for structured, formal protest including nationwide petitions and doorstep Dáil demonstrations has been proposed in several quarters."

The GPA proposals have been two years in preparation and were in response to the Minister's call for some "lateral thinking" on the subject in 2002.

His comments were in answer to calls for the tax breaks afforded to professional athletes in that year's Finance Bill to be extended to Gaelic games players, who as amateurs had no sports-related income on which to be tax-exempt.

"The suggestion that the floodgates will open is easily dispelled by the Sports Council's (ISC) approval of and active participation in defining applicability criteria across all relevant sports," the statement says. "This ring fencing mechanism will limit the exchequer's exposure to an estimated € 6 million per annum, minimal by comparison to comparable allowances for artists and professional sportspersons."

GAA president Seán Kelly in yesterday's Irish Times had suggested such a scheme be extended to All Stars initially and that a committee representing interested parties be formed to discuss the matter.

"We welcome the positive comments of the president and the support of officialdom in general," said Farrell in response, "but we would have concerns about his comments on establishing a committee and basing the system even initially on All Stars.

"That would defeat the purpose of a general tax concession. We want this to be all-inclusive and guys who don't make it to the very elite levels put in as much effort as those who do. A scheme like that would let the Department off the hook."

The GPA scheme is believed to involve a flat tax credit of € 2,000 to all senior inter-county players. Eligibility would be arbitrated on by the Irish Sports Council, which supports the proposal.

As devised by the GPA, the tax breaks would also apply to other high-performance amateur sportspersons, such as boxers, and the ISC would, according to Farrell, be "the gate keepers" for the overall project.

The proposal has received cross-party support and although omitted from the Finance Bill was submitted as an amendment by Fine Gael's Jimmy Deenihan at the committee stage but defeated. Deenihan, a former All-Ireland-winning captain with Kerry, intends to raise it again at the report stage.

Given the apparent determination of the Minister to veto the idea, the GPA has to consider its next step.