My questions
1) Is there a good guide to Section 811 in practice anywhere online?
2) Are there any statistics about how often Revenue uses it?
3) Has anyone any experience of it which they could share?
1) Not really because this is a very niche / high end area of tax practice - as soon as section 811/811C is invoked both sides tend to get lawyered all the way up - senior counsel all round, usually.
2) Yes - there is a PQ from 2021 - I'll share the detail of it below. The rarity of use of the General AA provision under section 811/811C should not be mistaken as indicating that Revenue aren't active in tackling avoidance schemes - it is just that there are specific anti avoidance provisions in various bits of the tax code, under which most avoidance transactions get tackled. Section 811/811C is the fall-back, for when something is sufficiently novel that it isn't caught by anything else.
3) Very few people do, as the stats will make fairly evident.
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debate...811&highlight[2]=section&highlight[3]=section
Question:
301. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 82 of 30 June 2021, the percentage of notice of opinion and notice of assessments issued under the general anti-avoidance rules which result in an additional tax yield; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39253/21]
Answer:
I am advised by Revenue that, of the 517 Notices of Opinion issued by Revenue under section 811 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, 72 are still under enquiry. Of the 445 Notices finalised, 12.4% (55 Notices), resulted in a settlement with Revenue which included additional tax.
I understand that of the 445 notices finalised, 85.2% (379 notices), were withdrawn resulting in a nil yield following the Supreme Court’s decision in the Hans Droog case. As advised to the Deputy in Parliamentary Question No. 82 of 30 June 2021, it was successfully argued by the appellant in that case that time limits set out in legislation relating to the self-assessment system applied also to the general anti-avoidance legislation.
Also as previously advised to the Deputy, I understand from Revenue that no assessments have issued to-date under section 811C of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 which applies to tax avoidance transactions commenced after 23 October 2014 and requires the issue by Revenue of a Notice of Assessment instead of a Notice of Opinion. I understand it has been possible for Revenue to challenge tax avoidance transactions identified that took place after 23 October 2014 using specific legislative provisions, therefore to-date it has not been necessary for Revenue to issue assessments under section 811C.