Attorney General Helen McEntee said she would personally support drug dealers paying a higher tax rate on their earnings after they were found to pay the same tax rates as regular, law-abiding employees.
When asked by reporters whether drug dealers should be taxed at a higher tax rate, Secretary McEntee said “that wouldn’t be a bad thing”.
“If that is something that needs to be done, it should be done in consultation and cooperation with my colleagues and the government,” Secretary of State McEntee told reporters during a press conference at Garda Training College, Templemore, when discussing the publication. annual report 2021 of the Bureau Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).
Ms McEntee – who is proposing legislation to halve the current seven-year time frame before CAB can transfer money to the Treasury in disputed cases – said that while changes to the criminal tax system are not currently being considered by the government, “that is not saying it won’t be looked at in the future.”
The CAB, which identifies and seizes assets suspected of having been purchased with the proceeds of crime, stated in its annual report that in 2021 it had robbed criminals nearly €11 million, returned €5.5 million to the Treasury and €5.5 million had been paid back to six victims of cryptocurrency theft.
CAB, founded 26 years ago after the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin, murdered by members of the John Gilligan drug gang, after its work spotlighted the activities of Ireland’s drug lords, who last year identified around 24 drug dealers as guilty of more than €3 million tax.
CAB said it also recovered about $250,000 from an additional 33 drug dealers last year.
Between 1996 and 2021, the agency returned a total of €204 million to the Treasury, of which €165 million was from tax settlements; €33 million in proceeds from crime; and €6 million in social benefits.
In total, more than 360 proceeds of crimes have been brought to court, involving nearly €170 million in alleged criminal assets.
Chief Bureau Officer, Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Gubbins told reporters that early this year, CAB had under its control 61 homes and had confiscated more than 80 cars with suspected links to money laundering through the auto trade.
Detective Chief Superintendent Gubbins said CAB had trained “more than 100 additional Division Asset Profilers” – agents who identify CAB targets – with the police, the Department of Social Protection and Revenue and other agencies, bringing the total number of profilers to “more than 552” came.
Mr Gubbins said the ordinary members of the public are the eyes and ears of CAB and thanked them for providing hundreds of tips to CAB in 2021.
“Some people call us, some email us, some write to us; sometimes it’s a short note, sometimes it’s a big file, and in 2021 we had 321 of those Good Citizen Reports as we like to call them, and they’re very important to us, they give us additional information or sometimes they can identify a additional target,” he added.
When asked what percentage drug dealers and other criminals are taxed on their income, Mr. Gubbins replied, “They are taxed at the normal rate (like everyone else), yes.”
When asked whether he personally felt this was appropriate or whether drug dealers should pay a higher tax rate, Mr Gubbins replied: “That’s the rate there is and that’s the system we work with.”
Asked if he’d like to review it against the criminal, Mr Gubbins continued, “we use the income stats and the system to tax them, so unless someone else wants to change (it) … but for now we’re using that system”.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris was also asked if he would like drug dealers to pay a higher tax rate and said: “Well, I have to say that taxation is not my specialty. But what has already been put forward is actually the proposal for the publication of persons who have been settled via CAB and who have filed a tax return.”
“Obviously, taxation is pursued as one tactic, it’s different tactics and also for the proceeds of crime, that’s happening in the public arena and people are seeing the consequences. Actual tax rates are not my specialty. I cannot comment on that,” Commissioner Harris said.