Retailers call for Revenue Reserves Force to tackle smuggling
Retailers Against Smuggling want a reserves force to be established to help Revenue crack down on Ireland's black market
Print24 September 2015
Retailers Against Smuggling (RAS) today launched its annual pre-budget submission at Buswell’s Hotel in Dublin. The submission includes a proposal to introduce a reserves force to assist the Revenue in combatting the black market.
RAS is calling for the establishment of a reserves force to help the Revenue’s enforcement units to crack down on smugglers and black market operators.
The scheme would operate in the same way as the successful Garda Reserves scheme, and would see members of the public work on a voluntary basis to help the Revenue tackle the black market.
RAS, which represents almost 3,000 independent retailers in the fight against the black market, met informally with cross-party TDs and Senators today to discuss the submission.
RAS spokesman Benny Gilsenan said: “We hope that this is a workable, realistic proposal that can help Revenue deal with the black market. It has worked very well for the Garda and we see no reason that it can’t work for the Revenue as well.”
The RAS pre-budget submission also contains a proposal to seek the use of attachment orders to take unpaid fines from convicted offenders’ wages or social welfare payments.
“This is something that the Government is looking at in relation to unpaid water charges and we believe it should be applied to the non-payment of fines for smuggling and illegal selling,” Gilsenan added.
The RAS submission also contains a proposal to introduce CAB-style operations to clamp down on street sellers and illegal traders.
Similar to the Criminal Assets Bureau, which seized the assets of large crime bosses, the Garda would be responsible for running these ‘mini-CAB’ operations.
“Our meeting with TDs today was very productive and we hope that our proposals receive serious consideration,” Gilsenan said.
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