Taxing Illegal Assets: The Revenue Work of the Criminal Assets Bureau
Irish Law Times, Vol. 24, No. 20, p. 316, 2006
7 Pages Posted: 21 Nov 2007 Last revised: 21 Aug 2008
Abstract
This article considers the powers of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) in the context of revenue law, as this lesser - known aspect of the Bureau's work is often overshadowed by its ability to seize and confiscate the proceeds of crime. Although the taxing of illegal profits was traditionally precluded in Ireland, this situation was altered in the early - 1980s, thereby facilitating CAB's revenue work. Despite CAB's significant powers in this regard, the courts have overturned its tax assessments in a number of cases, on the basis that certain criteria pertaining to its tax powers have been breached. Nevertheless, CAB's ability to pursue an individual for unpaid taxes and simultaneously seek to confiscate the proceeds of crime augments the State's power in tackling organised crime and recoups significant resources for the public coffers.
Keywords: Criminal justice, asset forfeiture, organised crime
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