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File image of Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald at Leinster House Alamy Stock Photo

Sinn Féin received €80,000 in disclosed donations last year, while Fianna Fáil gained €2,500

Most of Sinn Féin’s political donations came from party TDs and Senators.

POLITICAL PARTIES IN Ireland disclosed just over €200,000 in declarable political donations last year, with Sinn Féin leading the way with more than €80,000 in donations.

All registered political parties are required to provide a donation statement to the Standards in Public Office Commission by 31 March each year, and which covers the preceding year.

When a party receives a donation valued at over €100, this must be lodged into a political donations account within a recognised financial institution.

However, only donations valued at more than €1,500 must be disclosed to the Commission, including donations from the same source with a combined value of more than €1,500.

The maximum value of donations that a political party can accept from the same source within a calendar year is €2,500, and a disclosed donation must detail where it is coming from.

Meanwhile, a party may not accept a corporate or business donation in excess of €200 unless the donor is registered with the Commission on the Register of Corporate Donors.

There were 23 political parties registered in 2022.

Eight of these missed the original reporting deadline of 31 March, and three failed to submit the required statutory returns.

These three parties were Identity Ireland (which has since disbanded), Renua Ireland (since renamed as Centre Party of Ireland), and The National Party.

Disclosed political donations

Last year, the value of declarable donations which were disclosed by political parties here was €200,161.

Sinn Féin led the way with €80,190 worth of disclosed donations, with Fine Gael in second with €56,747.

This was followed by the Labour Party, which registered €27,850, and then the Green Party with €21,075.

Aontú and the Workers Party both registered €5,000 in disclosed donations, followed by Fianna Fáil on €2,500 and Solidarity – People Before Profit had disclosed donations of €1,800.

Most disclosed donations came from political figures within each respective party and Fianna Fáil’s only disclosed donation was also the only donation to come from a corporate source – Irish dairy business Dansko Foods.

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    Mute Bert Carolan
    Favourite Bert Carolan
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    Nov 28th 2022, 11:51 PM

    Airbnb are a different company since COVID.
    If you post a negative review about your host, Airbnb will contact you and threaten to inform your host in advance that you are writing a negative review, thus giving your host the opportunity to write a negative review about you. You will then be asked to change your review.
    Similarly if a host writes a negative review of a client, Airbnb will contact them and demand the host change the review. They will threaten to drop the hosts superhost status etc.
    Basically there are no negative stories on Airbnb. A race to the bottom.

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    Mute Sequoia
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    Nov 29th 2022, 12:14 AM

    @Bert Carolan: you can’t write a review before a stay

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    Mute Gavin Lynam
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    Nov 29th 2022, 12:32 AM

    @Bert Carolan: Well this is just not true..

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    Mute OConnelj
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    Nov 29th 2022, 12:52 AM

    @Sequoia: he never said that you could.

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    Mute Dawn Harvey
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    Nov 29th 2022, 5:36 AM

    @Bert Carolan: why would you post a negative review BEFORE your stay?

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    Mute Joanne McBride
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    Nov 29th 2022, 10:50 AM

    @Dawn Harvey: he didn’t say before the stay, he said the hosts are alerted after the stay but in advance of the review being posted
    review

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Nov 28th 2022, 11:25 PM

    We need this more than ever at the moment because all the hotels are full. Always good to have an alternative.

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    Mute Cat K.
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    Nov 28th 2022, 11:52 PM

    @Paul Gorry: you look great from the back.

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Nov 29th 2022, 12:13 AM

    @Cat K.: won’t even get started how ye look from the front:)

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    Mute Alan Kenny
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    Nov 29th 2022, 8:14 AM

    @Paul Gorry: But government legislation coming soon will remove thousands of short term let’s from the market so Tourism sector will be wrecked next year. Already record low number of people planning to visit Ireland.

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    Mute An tOll. Evan Ó Catháin
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    Nov 29th 2022, 6:00 AM

    Taxing myself here as to why this might be the case but the answer is evading me.

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    Mute longhandle
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    Nov 29th 2022, 10:39 AM

    Strange….funnel your money thru a tax haven. Who’d a thunk it.

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    Mute Soeren Kuehling
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    Nov 29th 2022, 1:06 PM

    @longhandle: what’s bad about it? profits taxed 8n Ireland part-fund out social system. how can anyone be mad about it baffles me. the more companies pay taxes 8n ireland the better for all

    2
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