Will the Dail career of Mick Wallace be truncated?

[Dr. FIVE]

The worst possible outcome for the government would have been if Wallace resigned.

Absolutely. Glenna Lynch got it spot on Thursday when she said he should have taken the opportunity draw a line and resign. The pendulum will inevitably swing to the other side of the house.

Sadly TDs aren't keen on setting standards..

[Cynacist]

But wouldn't it be good to see criminals who steal VAT or PAYE or PRSI or other taxes treated the same way as criminals who steal cash or cars or jewellery?

Wouldn't it be fairer if our prisons weren't reserved for the Hiace class of crook?

Do you not think that this would generate a serious prison over-crowding problem?

Link here worth reading: http://www.independent.ie/national-n...r-3139994.html

[Baron von Biffo]

Do you not think that this would generate a serious prison over-crowding problem?

Link here worth reading: http://www.independent.ie/national-n...r-3139994.html

In the short term it probably would but these scum-bags have robbed us blind for years so we have to bring their run to an end.

The possibility of being banged up with the lower orders might change the casual attitude to fraud that's endemic in our business sector.

[Baron von Biffo]

The Sindo is reporting that 5 of the apartments at the centre of the Wallace VAT scandal were sold to members of his family.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...s-3140472.html

The investigation by the Committee on Members Interests must be put on hold now to allow the Revenue, the ODCE and other authorities to find out exactly what went on in Wallace's companies.

[bernadette]

To be fair off loading assets onto other more profitable companies or people, usually family is what passes for normal in some companies when they are about to go belly up. Its particularly distasteful though when its a TD who proclaims he is in politics to help the people wounded by actions, that turn out to be the same actions as his.

[Baron von Biffo]

The Indo is reporting that Wallace's token gesture to give some of his Dail salary to the Revenue could be nobbled by ACC, the bank with first claim on his assets.

That raises an important point that the government ought to address urgently - The VAT that Wallace kept was never his, it was always the property of the state. With so many companies going to the wall these days we need legislation to ensure that the proceeds of VAT, PAYE and PRSI fraud, monies that never belonged to the business, are recovered before the legitimate assets are distributed to creditors.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...y-3140811.html

[Baron von Biffo]

In other news, Wallace had his car towed for unauthorised parking in the staff car park at Dublin airport.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...k-3140786.html

Speaking to the media, a visibly emotional Mr. Wallace said that in hindsight it was wrong to park there. Wearing pink sackcloth and with ashes in his luxuriant locks, Mr. Wallace couldn't hold back tears as he said he only parked there to save money so that he could pay his €2M debt to the Revenue. "I want to pay back every penny of the parking fees I dodged and I'll do so the minute I have the Revenue debt cleared in 2174." said an overwrought Mr. Wallace.

Socialist party TD Clare Daly, a close friend () of Deputy Wallace said that that towing his car was an attack by right-wing, neo-liberal, austerity forces against socialist developers. "Taking €140 from Mick will damage the economy." She said. "We could have boosted income in the hospitality sector if we had a nice chianti with that."

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...k-3140786.html

[Cynacist]

Understand that there was a possibility for Mick to use the VIP lounge but the decision had been made that it would be inappropriate for someone with such a tax problem to be seen benefiting from luxury beyond the normal passanger.

[C. Flower]

The Indo is reporting that Wallace's token gesture to give some of his Dail salary to the Revenue could be nobbled by ACC, the bank with first claim on his assets.

That raises an important point that the government ought to address urgently - The VAT that Wallace kept was never his, it was always the property of the state. With so many companies going to the wall these days we need legislation to ensure that the proceeds of VAT, PAYE and PRSI fraud, monies that never belonged to the business, are recovered before the legitimate assets are distributed to creditors.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...y-3140811.html

I'm very surprised at this. I always understood that the Revenue had first claim to VAT. Otherwise, Wallace would have been right to pay the bank first.

[C. Flower]

Mr Wallace is a close friend of Socialist Party Dublin North TD Clare Daly, who previously worked with Aer Lingus.

She could not be contacted for comment yesterday

I think she should reply to this.

It has been a source of irritation for a long time that neither SF nor the Technical Group members have made serious attacks on Dail allowances, salaries and perks.

To be honest the impression is that they are far to eager to avail of them - for the good of the cause of course, as it always is - to want to cut them.

[C. Flower]

Do you not think that this would generate a serious prison over-crowding problem?

Link here worth reading: http://www.independent.ie/national-n...r-3139994.html

Since McCreery has said that the Irish banks regularly traded illegally, going way back, I think it likely that there would be a serious problem of overcrowding, were the law applied.

[Cynacist]

Since McCreery has said that the Irish banks regularly traded illegally, going way back, I think it likely that there would be a serious problem of overcrowding, were the law applied.

Perhaps the law is applied on the basis of logistics:
It could be the case that white collar crime is so much part of the modus operandi for the rich and powerful that to prosecute so many cases would take down both government and business.
There would not be enough space in prisons without kicking out those lower class offenders with mental health problem and unacceptable survial behaviours.

Its not so much that the law is an ass as to let sleeping dogs lie.

[C. Flower]

Perhaps the law is applied on the basis of logistics:
It could be the case that white collar crime is so much part of the modus operandi for the rich and powerful that to prosecute so many cases would take down both government and business.
There would not be enough space in prisons without kicking out those lower class offenders with mental health problem and unacceptable survial behaviours.

Its not so much that the law is an ass as to let sleeping dogs lie.

I would guess if you were to remove the people with mental health problems and addiction problems out of jails and in to treatment, the prisons would be 7/8 ths empty.

[Baron von Biffo]

I think she should reply to this.

It has been a source of irritation for a long time that neither SF nor the Technical Group members have made serious attacks on Dail allowances, salaries and perks.

To be honest the impression is that they are far to eager to avail of them - for the good of the cause of course, as it always is - to want to cut them.

The principal (though not principled) reason why the ULA will never congeal into a single party is that tens of thousands in public funding would be lost if it did.

[PaddyJoe]

Row in Technical Group this evening over Mick Wallaces' membership of a Dail Committee. He has left the Group so he should now renounce the Committee membership which he was awarded as a member of the Tech Group, according to Fionnan in Thursday's Indo.