Major crackdown on welfare and tax fraud in Galway
Officials from Revenue and the Department of Social Protection are carrying out roadside checkpoints in Galway City in a crackdown on welfare and tax cheats.
The multi-agency checkpoints – which are also manned by the Gardaí, Customs and the Road Safety Authority – are part of a major operation targeting the so-called ‘shadow economy’.
Inspectors have been trying to ‘nab’ people on their way to and from work who are fraudulently claiming welfare payments, failing to declare income and those who fail to make proper tax returns.
They include tradespeople in vans and commercial 4x4s who may be paid ‘off the books’ and have collected supplies on their way to a job.
At the most recent major checkpoint – carried out in Doughiska – more than 80 people were interviewed, and a “number of irregularities” detected, which will be pursued. The checkpoints also target those using green diesel and a variety of other offences including no motor tax, insurance and compliance with the NCT.
Spokespersons for Revenue and the Dept of Social Protection confirmed to the Galway City Tribune that the multi-agency operation has been ongoing in the city for the past few weeks, as well as “routine compliance checks”.
For more on the crackdown, see this week's Galway City Tribune