increase in gift value allowed to TDs

G

Gordanus

Registered User
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I'm furious that that lot in the Dail are proposing to increase their gift allowance to 2 grand a year. "I was so embarrassed when I had to give the table lamp to the OPW as the value exceeded what I was allowed - the gift giver wanted me to have it!"
And I can't even claim the cost of a lunch for a client against tax!
 
bit that annoyed me when I heard it was the huge increase from €650 to €2000. the td interviewed stated that the €650 figure was a carryover from the £500 pre euro figure. Cant recall the figure for capital gains tax £1000 pre eur now €1270 increasing by that amount. or indeed by any amount.
Bottom line. When you make the laws you can do what you like. same as any state in the world. dictatorships included.
 

It's you not being able to claim the lunch that's wrong, not the €2K gift allowance
 
gordanus,

don't know the tax laws well.

surely if 'client lunches' were tax deductable, accountants would at least advise their clients that every lunch they have should involve a potential client of some sort?

it would be open to rampant abuse would it not?

i suppose this is off your original point about political gifts though.
 
What I meant is there's no system for allowing me to accept €2K worth of gifts at work. Everything that comes to me is taxable.
BTW I'm not sure whether the 2K refers to the cumulative worth of gifts in a year, or the worth of each gift? perhaps the accountants here know?
 

I'm pretty sure it's each gift
 
Excellent news. So that means I can gift myself €2k from a limited company, without paying any taxes?

I'll get the cheque book out.
 
Gordanus said:
And I can't even claim the cost of a lunch for a client against tax! (
Click to expand...

You can claim this actually. More precisely if you buy lunch for a client, you can claim the cost of his/her lunch. However assuming you are self employed, you cannot claim the cost of your own lunch, even if you eat it with your client. Go figure.
 
Back to the topic, I can't help thinking that Charlie Haughey's only error was not to legalise everything he did before he did it.
 
umop3p!sdn said:
Excellent news. So that means I can gift myself €2k from a limited company, without paying any taxes?

I'll get the cheque book out.
Click to expand...

Eh, you're totally missing the point here.
This isn't about avoiding tax or pillaging your own company.
It's about elected representatives being allowed receive "gifts" up to an acceptable threshold.
 
Eh, you're totally missing the point here.
Click to expand...
Can you not see that there is more than one aspect to this?

- TDs get €2k tax free gift every year. 'Normal' people would have to pay BIK on most of this.

- Then there is the more obvious 'brown envelope' aspect.
 
umop3p!sdn said:
Can you not see that there is more than one aspect to this?

- TDs get €2k tax free gift every year. 'Normal' people would have to pay BIK on most of this.

- Then there is the more obvious 'brown envelope' aspect.
Click to expand...

This refers to presents given to elected representatives...I see it as an ethical issue rather than a taxation one. There's a limit to protect the integrity of democracy and the argument is that €650 in this day and age is too low. €2000 is more appropriate. This has nothing to do with BIK.

By the same token, technically when you give a gift to someone should they pay tax on it? The thought popped into my head...say you buy your girlfriend jewellery or the like?
 

You think a TD is going to put their integrity on the line for €2k?

By the same token, technically when you give a gift to someone should they pay tax on it? The thought popped into my head...say you buy your girlfriend jewellery or the like?
Click to expand...
Income tax would already have been paid on this. If, however, I owned a property company, I might decide to give someone a gift - from the company.
 
umop3p!sdn said:
You think a TD is going to put their integrity on the line for €2k?


Income tax would already have been paid on this. If, however, I owned a property company, I might decide to give someone a gift - from the company.
Click to expand...

No I don't think a TD would put their integrity on the line for €2K...that's why I've no problem with the increase.

I don't understand what you mean about income tax having already been paid? My query was about gifts which breach tax regulations...e.g. cars, jewellery etc between people who aren't married.
 
ubiquitous said:
You can claim this actually. More precisely if you buy lunch for a client, you can claim the cost of his/her lunch. However assuming you are self employed, you cannot claim the cost of your own lunch, even if you eat it with your client. Go figure.
Click to expand...
I'd hate to even think what sort of proof that the might look for to prove this...
 
that's a 'gift' us taxpayers are giving to the TD's - tax free, on top of all the the other tax free allowances: daily travel and subsistance allowance ( unvouched, no receipts required) , overnight allowance (even if TD has own apartment etc in dublin (unvouched, no receipts required)), secretarial allowance, telephone allowance, allowance to run their constitutency, mobile phone allowance, project allowances....

many of these allowances are given to their own family etc..who 'work' for them..

oh, and they get a MASSIVE pension after only 20 years...

and they set their OWN salary levels and increases..

also they and their family get free parking in Dail, city centre FOR LIFE!!!

and there's more....sadly, so much more...but you will never force the TD's/Senators to account for themselves, so they continue to milk you...
 
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