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A ‘SMALL NUMBER’ of people who chose to pay their Local Property Tax through reductions in social welfare payments are yet to make any payment because of administrative issues.
According to the Revenue Commissioners, the problems occurred when a number of property owners either selected the wrong social welfare payment type, selected a social welfare payment where reductions at source did not apply or were found not to be in receipt of any social welfare payment.
The information came to light last month in response to a Dáil question put to Minister for Finance Michael Noonan by Fianna Fáil’s Michael McGrath.
McGrath was asking about a Department of Social Protection facility put in place to allow customers, when making arrangements with revenue, to choose to pay their property tax over an extended period from their social welfare payments.
Noonan said that in cases where the wrong payment was selected, it was subsequently corrected and deduction at source in these cases should have already commenced.
He added however that in the other two cases mentioned above, the Revenue Commissioners contacted the property owner for it to be corrected, advising them to select an alternative payment method for the property tax. According to Minister Noonan however, in a “small subset” of cases, this has not yet occurred:
The commissioners also advise that, where operational and administrative issues have arisen, they have been addressed on a case by case basis, and there may be a residue of cases where deduction at source from social welfare payments has not yet commenced as these are currently being worked by Revenue.
15,500 property owners
Noonan confirmed that approximately 15,500 residential property owners opted to pay their property tax obligations by way of a deduction at source from a social welfare payment.
This represented a total liability of €2.26 million in 2013 with the minster confirming that latest figures showed that approximately €720,000 had been collected by revenue to date.
The Minster also said that up to the end of August, just over €21 million had been spent on setting up the operations of the Local Property Tax. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform last December made a provision of €25.9 million in 2013 for its’ implementation.
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Looking at the Police, the Judicial system, the people, I think Mauritius would be one of the last places on earth I would visit !
It’s a good thing the French didn’t say that about Ireland after our high profile case in west Cork…
Yea because we’re overwhelmed with French tourists every year………..
Only about 400,000 every year… our fourth largest tourist market.
She wasn’t a tourist and he wasn’t irish.
Who wasn’t Irish? The case is unsolved… Do you know something the Gardaí don’t?
Why should they Peter. Do you no something the rest of us don’t no???
If Mauritius is interested in justice they should break up that cabal of police officers who secured a confession through the use of torture on Avinash Treebhoowoon. Seems over 80% of convictions in Mauritius are secured through confessions.
Right he should ! And the police should hold the husband for further investigations
The two defendants have admitted to stealing ,but they walk free,justice has not been, if the judgement is they are not guilty, then the case should be investigated again, somebody killed her!!!
Dumbest post so far I’ve read on this and there’s a fair few on boards.ie as well….did you even read up on this trial Peter? It’s fairly obvious you didn’t ..maybe you should and give your brain a chance to think before opening your mouth.
@Peter
You are a fool, ignorant and inhuman. I hope you never get on to a jury of any kind. They may be, may be found innocent of murdering but they were in her room, they did steal. To me, the police screwed up here. This case should be opened again, for Michaela, her husband and her family. Justice has to prevail here.
They may have stolen from the room, but thats no reason to charge them with murder.
If the police had done their damn job properly and not be in such a rush then the right people would have been caught
Im not one bit surprised. Police job was a farce. Poor family though.
What a bunch of crap. The trial should be made void and an appeal lodged. The Judge has blundered while giving his last instructions to the jury prior to them retiring and this has had a great impact on the jury’s decision.
There wasn’t a shred of evidence against the accused men so it’s difficult to see where the judge blundered in giving instructions to the jury. A more important question is why the bellboy wasn’t questioned in court. He, along with Michelle’s husband, found the body yet only his statement was introduced.
THe judge told the jury they are not politicians and were not there to send the world signals about the island’s police or judicial system. This has had great impact on jury’s decision and that is why the whole verdict should be annulled and debated again before the Privy Council. The DPP must lodge an appeal before the latter court in UK.
Judge Prithviraj Fekna told the jury before they retired to make their decision to ignore the wider implications of the trial, and focus ONLY on evidence presented in court.
“”You have been told that this will have an international ramification and will affect the image of Mauritius… this is not your role. You must not allow yourself to be influenced by this, you are not politicians, you have to base yourself on what has happened.”"
Reads to me like a standard instruction from a judge to a jury in a high profile case.
As I said in another thread Fotocrat, your whole attitude seems to be “they’re guilty because everyone knows they’re guilty – why would we need any evidence?”.
The Ian Bailey case springs to mind…
I have been commenting and making MY own opinion according to what has been reported read in the press. And anyway, the whole process has only been a joke, sadly yes, and also a shame for the nation of Mauritius and its incompetent, protectionist and corrupt authorities at the highest level. I reiterate that It’s high time for a public enquiry into processes and procedures within the Mauritius Police itself, which is under the authority of the Commissioner of Police who has to report directly to the Prime Minister only.
POLL:
Should a private investigation lead by volunteer experienced Criminal Investigators be launched to find the culprit(s) in late Michaela’s murder case?
Red/Green thumbs will do.
Apparently my comments are “potentially libellous” so i will have to rephrase.
If these two guys are Not Guilty, but the room was definitely accessed by staff member(s) key card, then does it not appear that the murderer may very well be still working at the Lux Grande Garb hotel? In my opinion potential customers should know this.
Hotel records indicated that someone gained access using a FALSE electronic key card at 3.42pm, two minutes before Michelle entered the room. Then there’s the reports of ‘skin tissue’ under Michelle’s fingernails as she fought off her attacker(s). No DNA from the cleared men was found in the room.
Her poor family. Something does not add up here – 8 weeks of evidence reviewed and digested in less than 2 hours? That’s fishy to start with.
Nothing fishy at all about it, that’s plenty of time to come to a decision, especially when you consider that chances are they’d have been reviewing it daily on personal levels, and weighing new evidence as it came, up against old, chances are a lot of their minds would have been well made up before they went of to deliberate.
The McAreaveys should sue the cops for making a cockup of the whole thing. Idiots
When Enda Kenny stood up this morning and said justice was not done. It’s a pity the journal didn’t have the balls to report on it. Fair play Enda
why fair play to enda?
it is not for him to be making any comment on this (he has no problem not making comments on plenty of other things)
if he had to make a comment why not ‘justice hasn’t been done yet’? which would have been a true and fair comment?
I’m going to be watching that damages case. Hopefully if he is awarded money Michaela’s husband John will take a civil action for damages under the less stringent ‘balance of probabilities’ legal system… Then new evidence might be uncovered that might just lead to a new criminal prosecution … Hopefully their laws provide for this…
Actually he should take a civil claim against the investigating officers.
It was their inability to do the job properly that lead to the sham of a trial.
All the two workers have been guilty of is going into the room to steal, not actually murdering her.
lux*
That woman has a huge forearm
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