THE Office of the Revenue Commissioners is to get additional resources in Budget 2017 in light of the Brexit vote in the UK.
The new resources come as Revenue conducts a review of the implications of Brexit with an emphasis on customs and excise and our border with Northern Ireland which is now Britain’s border with the EU.
The Government has allocated an extra €5m for the Revenue Commissioners for the recruitment of 50 additional staff and investment in systems and equipment.
Speculation on how the border will operate in the post-Brexit era continues.
Ireland is not in the Schengen area, which allows for passport free travel among certain EU member states.
The Irish and UK governments already work closely together to boost the Common Travel Area border.
Proposals to shift the frontline of immigration controls to Ireland after Brexit have been rejected by the minister responsible for European Affairs.
Dara Murphy has said Ireland should not screen EU citizens coming to Ireland about their onward travel plans on behalf of the UK.
Mr Murphy also said he doesn’t think enhanced security measures will be necessary at Ireland’s ports and airports, and insisted that he doesn’t see any threat of a Calais-type refugee situation arising in border areas.
The Government played down as “speculative” a report that Britain is looking to shift frontline immigration controls to Irish ports of entry to maintain an open border between the North and South.
Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire reportedly told ‘The Guardian’ that London and Dublin would work to boost Ireland’s external borders to tackle illegal immigration, after the UK leaves the European Union.
Ireland’s first post-Brexit budget comes on the heels of a leaked memo from the UK treasury that has revealed a ‘hard-brexit’ will cost Brtain £66bn a year.
Article Source: http://tinyurl.com/kbwqb42
