Offaly GAA face huge amount of work to deal with Revenue focus on management payments

THE Offaly GAA County Board will have to submit very detailed accounts to Croke Park as the GAA reacts to a new focus by the Revenue Commissioners on the tax liabilities of counties.

Payments to team managements and their back up staff are the particular focus of this audit and treasurer Frank Fitzpatrick told a meeting of the Offaly GAA County Board on Tuesday night that himself and Operations Manager John Hackett attended a meeting about the issue in Croke Park recently.

The Doon club man revealed that they were given an outline of how four counties who were the subject of a “trial run” on their accounts had got on in submitting their books.

“As regards ourselves, it means the process begins this week,” he said, revealing they have a very detailed questionnaire to complete for Croke Park.

“We will be asked to subtract a very large amount of information from our book-keeping system, granular stuff,” he revealed, stating that they will have to provide a list of every game and training session for every county team at all grades.

“There is a huge amount of paper work to be supplied,” Mr Fitzpatrick said, stating that Croke Park will pull a random sample from this and the back up paper work will have to be supplied. They will then sit down with their own and Croke Park auditors and calculate what “they believe to be a fair and honest assessment of whatever tax liability we might have”.

It will then be submitted to Revenue for their consideration. He stated that the four counties who have been scrutinised so far have submitted their figures but haven't received a response from Revenue yet.

“The primary point I would like to get across is there is huge work involved in this and they haven't been easy to deal with but no one ever praises Revenue when they are finished with them. They do their own bit,” the treasurer outlined.

He confirmed that counties are likely to be faced with a tax liability. “It looks like it. It is a matter of how much but it depends on the quality of the paper work. They look to be placing most of their concentration on payments to management teams. Referees was highlighted before as being an issue but that whole thrust has calmed down very considerably. It is mainly management teams they are looking at.”

Chairman Tom Parlon said: “It is unfortunate but this is the world we live in. Anyone who has had personal dealings with revenue, there is no empathy or sympathy. If you are libel you are libel but substantial funds are going in to paying management fees and Revenue are saying the rule is the rule and while there are just samples being taken, it is probably going to be fairly reflective of what is going to happen across the country.”

Mr Fitzpatrick also told delegates that their income from the National Hurling and Football Leagues has gone up to €122,000 from €74,000 last year.

They also presented six monthly accounts to Croke Park in March and this showed a deficit of €136,000, which Mr Fitzpatrick said would be normal for this time of year – they were submitted to claim a grant of €45,000 from the GAA support scheme.

READ NEXT: Offaly football and hurling league semi-finals and finals to go ahead without county players

He described this figure as an “inaccurate science” as a sponsor could come in with money a few days later or they could get a bill they handed been expecting.