Last month Commissioner O'Grady addressed students of the Institute's Chartered Tax Consultant Qualification Programme on the evolution of jurisprudence concerning tax avoidance, and the role of the proposed new Mandatory Disclosure Regime as Revenue see it.

The Commissioner outlined Revenue's objectives for the Mandatory Disclosure Regime which aims to counter what Revenue would regard as inappropriate tax avoidance schemes at a much earlier stage. Commissioner O'Grady told the audience of Chartered Accountants studying for the new professional tax qualification that the Mandatory Disclosure Regime would be amended in Finance Bill 2011.

Taking questions from the floor, Commissioner O'Grady set out perspectives on the role of the 12.5% rate as one element of an overall package of measures in the FDI context. The Commissioner was the first of a panel of distinguished and influential guest speakers who will address Chartered Tax Consultant students over the coming months.