Treasurer says Donegal GAA ‘has nothing to fear’ over Revenue scrutiny  

Donegal GAA  chiefs have been told to expect a visit from the Revenue Commissioners as a part of an ongoing investigation by Revenue into the tax affairs of GAA county boards.

This was confirmed by Donegal treasurer Grace Boyle ahead of Tuesday night’s meeting, called by Croke Park, with leading county officials to assess the latest on the Revenue’s findings. 

The meeting was held online and included Donegal’s three main officers - chairperson Mary Coughlan, treasurer Grace Boyle and secretary Declan Martin - along with leading officers from the other 25 counties. The six counties north of the border are under a different tax regime. 

“Yes, we have been informed by Croke Park to expect an audit as have all other county boards,” Donegal treasurer Grace Boyle told Donegal Live. 

“We had an audit back in 2012 too and I’m not aware if we’ve had any since and we were found to be fully compliant.” 

Tuesday’s meeting was called to address growing concerns among county officials about potential tax liabilities of county boards dating back a number of years.

The matter came to light in recent weeks when Galway and Mayo officials issued a statement saying it was not in a position to sign off on its 2024 annual accounts due to ongoing negotiations with the Revenue Commissioners. 

And it has also emerged that the Wexford county board reached a settlement with the Revenue Commissioners after a ‘risk review’ discovered liabilities for 2018 and 2019.

The settlement came to €55,000. 

It is understood the review, which is believed to be forensic, deals with summer camps, team holidays and other activities. 

However, Grace Boyle confirmed that Donegal has been fully compliant in relation to taxation matters on summer camps.

“We’ve been fully compliant since 2010 on the summer camps. I remember at the time it was very messy because some people may have only been working on the camps for just a couple of weeks. 

“It was an administrative nightmare at the time setting it up but it has been operating successfully for the last 14 years. I see that is one area the review is honing in on but I’m confident we have nothing to fear on that front.” 

GAA Director General Tom Ryan said on Monday evening’s RTÉ TV News:  “We have become aware the inspector of taxes has raised a few concerns in a small number of counties. 

"We're engaging with those counties. They have some work to do so we'll help guide them through that process. We'll also be engaging with the Revenue Commissioners and I hope that we can arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.

"It is important that there is a degree of consistency and the best way to do that I think is for us to offer some guidance centrally for counties as they navigate their way through the process,” said Ryan.