As such it is entitled to capital allowances against taxable profits

Business should review this to see if they can make a claim

there are mobile traders not established in Ireland e.g. from Northern Ireland and they will trade for less than 28 days at the venue

Where VAT on an activity is due in the place where it is performed. For example, if a venue owner allows a British promoter to run a concert at his premises, the VAT is due in Ireland.

The premises owner  notify Revenue 14 days in advance of the event or trading activity.

If they do not, Revenue may make them jointly liable with the trader or promoter for any VAT due. If the promoter fails to pay the provider will have to foot the bill

before the Social Charge you would have had to pay

• 90% of your 2011 liability
• 100% of your 2010 liability
• 105% of your 2009 liability if paying by direct debit, where 2009 liability greater than zero

Now these amounts must include an extra provision for the Universal Social Charge.  The charge did not apply for 2010. Therefore, the preliminary Tax should be calculated as if the USC had existed. ROS software is being adjusted to assist the taxpayer in the calculation

In recent years these have become a common method of fund investing. However, they can sometimes lead to tax problems as the correct treatment is not understood. many investors believe that they qualify for Capital Tains Tax treatment. This is not the case.

What are Exchange Traded Funds(ETFs)?

ETF’s are funds which invest in baskets of shares and securities across international exchanges. The investor buys units of these funds. This enables him to spread his investment risk across a number of investments using a single fund. in effect, this is the same as investing in unit trusts.

What are the tax implications?

The investments are liable to income tax under a special regime. The key factor is where the fund is resident. These will almost certainly be offshore i.e. non-irish resident. The treatment depends on whether the fund is a

• good offshore fund
• bad offshore fund

When you acquire a “material interest” in the fund you must diclose it in your return. A material  interest is any investment which can be sold within 7 years.

Good Offshore Fund

These are resident in an OECD country which has a Double Tax Treaty with Ireland. Both conditions must be met. China has a ttreaty but is not in the OECD. Therefore it does not qualify.

Tax treatment

Tax is chargesd at 30% on

• receipts from the fund
• sale of units
• accumulated gains during an 8 year roll up period

If you fail to declare the acquisition of a material interest in a “good” fund it will be treated as a “bad” fund

Bad Offshore Funds

These are taxed at a special rate of 48%.

Losses on funds

Losses cannot be offset agains gains on other funds. They cannot be carried forward. In effect, they are useless.

These are brief notes for guidance. When dealing with the tax treatment of funds you should seek professional advice.

It has imposed an 80% rate of Capital Gains Tax on certain land disposals. This has caused some confusion as many taxpayers think that it relates to all land disosals are caught.

The disposals caught by the tax are

• Where the land has been rezoned.
• Getting planning permission is not rezoning.
• The designation of the land must change from

                            non-development to development 

                            from on type of development to another e.g from commercial to residential

Finance Act 2010 introduced a provision that planning perissions involving a material contravention of the Local Development Plan are also caught by the tax

This very brief outline shows how complex this issue is. You should always seek professional taxadvice.

1. undeclared rental income
2. possible undeclared income used to buy the property
3. possible invalid claim of stamp duty exemptions

If a taxpayer falls foul of any of these it can lead to significant interest and penalties. Stamp duty problems could cause bills of tens of thousands alone. Revenue get information on rentals and are able to link up with stamp duty payments and exemptions.

Landlords who feel they may have a problem should contact their tax adviser to help resolve it.

.

There were no changes to basic rates and cut-off points.  The main changes were

1. Mortgage Interest Relief
2. High Earners restrictions
3. Non-Residents

Mortgage Interest Relief

Qualifying loans taken out before 1^st July 2011 will get relief for 7 years

There will be transitional measures for loans taken out between 1^st July 2011 and 31^st 12 2013.

Those whose entitlement to relief would expire in or after 2010 will continue to get the relief till the end of 2017.

The relief expires at the end of 2017.

High Earners Specified Reliefs

This affects taxpayers who had availed of what are called specified reliefs e.g. Section 23. They are taxed on an adjusted income calculation which reduces the value of these reliefs. Previously, the entry point to this restriction was €250,000. It is now decreased to €125,000. The full restriction kicks in at €400,000. The aim is to raise these taxpayers effective tax rate to 30%.

This can be a complex area and tax advice should be sought

Non-residents

Non-resident individuals who

1. Retain Irish domicile and
2. Have Irish assets exceeding €5 million and
3. Worldwide income over €1 million

will pay an annual levy of €200,000.

Carbon Tax

A new tax on fossil fuels has been introduced based on the carbon content. The tax is

 Excise duty on Alcohol

This was reduced with effect from midnight on 9^th December 2009. Wholesalers who had built up stocks will be hit as there is no reclaim mechanism.

Corporation Tax

The exemption from Corporation Tax for the first three years trading by a start-up company has been extended to start-ups in 2010.

Value Added Tax

The standard rate of VAT has been changed back from 21.5% to 21%. This is effective from 1^st January 2010.

 Capital Gains Tax

There were no changes in Capital Gains Tax.

Capital Acquisitions Tax

There were no changes

For any queries or help on your tax affairs, we at Conlon O Sullivan & Co, Registered Tax Consultants can offer you a proactive and expert service.  Please contact us to arrange a consultation.

Basic Rule

You must file a return if your non-PAYE income is higher than can be catered for by Revenue adjusting your credits and allowances. In practice, this is about €3,510.

Certain categories of people must always file a return, regardless of amount e.g.

1. Proprietary directors owning over 15% of a company even if paying PAYE
2. Employees who receive share options.

Some other examples of income which can mean your having to file a return are

Dividends

1. Business profits
2. Deposit Interest
3. Loan interest receivable
4. Rental Income
5. Mutual Funds
6. Capital Gains

If you need help with a tax return you should get professional advice