Hi
I read a few things and it seems that in Ireland the revenue system can go back in theory forever I don’t know what it means forever but there is no statutory limitation, which is quite unfair, I wonder in reality if they do go back that long, over 10 years unless there was a proven serious tax fraud. In Germany where I’m from the tax authority is barred from going back more than 5 years unless they can prove serious tax fraud. If they do (and they have to prove it) then they can still go back 10 years maximum, no more. I worked in Italy and France before and they have more or less the same rules as far as I remember, I think in Italy it was 6 and 12 years maximum and there is a big difference if you have an account in Panama or Belize vs. in EU country or US for example. Instead for the Irish revenue system it is all the same. I think the system here is very geared in favor of the revenue with very little protection for the average person.
Here we have
1. The likes of the big US corporations that teamed up with the government and pay zero tax
2. A number of people on the dole with family income supplement , medical card and cash jobs on the side (I know a few)
3. The vast majority of decent honest self employed or Payee people that are catering for categories 1 and 2 above and like
in the case of Patrick are worried that despite the already draconian regime of taxation, Revenue can question him going back
maybe 15 years simply for having a U.S. account and worrying that his tax affairs were maybe not perfectly in order 15 years ago.