Ring-fencing?

Limecube

Is government revenues ever really ring-fenced in Ireland?

For example, is the cash collected for the plastic-bag tax ring-fenced for environmental projects/spending? Is the old health-levy ring-fenced for HSE spends? I've tried to find out if the Irish Government have some cash tracking system but can't find any real evidence of it?

Any ideas?

Scofflaw

Limecube wrote: »

Is government revenues ever really ring-fenced in Ireland?

For example, is the cash collected for the plastic-bag tax ring-fenced for environmental projects/spending? Is the old health-levy ring-fenced for HSE spends? I've tried to find out if the Irish Government have some cash tracking system but can't find any real evidence of it?

Any ideas?

I'm not sure to what extent taxes can really be ring-fenced. If they're really to be properly ring-fenced, that has to be put into law, according to Bunreacht:

All revenues of the State from whatever source arising shall, subject to such exception as may be provided by law, form one fund, and shall be appropriated for the purposes and in the manner and subject to the charges and liabilities determined and imposed by law.

As such, any ring-fencing is either recorded in the statutes, or is a purely political promise to spend on a particular purpose as much as is raised by the relevant tax.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Poochie05

The plastic bag and the landfill levies are one of the few that are actually 'ring fenced' and under the control of a department other than the Department of Finance and it actually established in legislation:

http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/Waste/EnvironmentFund/

Godge

Limecube wrote: »

Is government revenues ever really ring-fenced in Ireland?

For example, is the cash collected for the plastic-bag tax ring-fenced for environmental projects/spending? Is the old health-levy ring-fenced for HSE spends? I've tried to find out if the Irish Government have some cash tracking system but can't find any real evidence of it?

Any ideas?

No, it is not in any accounting sense.

However, the property tax will be interesting to follow. It is the first tax that is supposed to directly relate to expenditure at local level and from 2016 local authorities can vary the rate.

lmimmfn

Godge wrote: »

No, it is not in any accounting sense.

However, the property tax will be interesting to follow. It is the first tax that is supposed to directly relate to expenditure at local level and from 2016 local authorities can vary the rate.

Using it paying for water meters initially? That's what I heard here say, so may be a load of crap.

I find it shocking that our constitution says everything should go to a slush fund unless legislation exists otherwise, was probably fine back in the day but nowadays with so many taxes, its impossible to tell if the spend on roads is higher or lower than the road tax and if road tax needs to be increased or decreased etc.