'I won't quit until 2012,' vows Ahern
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today vowed to stay in office until at least 2012 and said he had “never” considered quitting amid controversy over his personal finances.
The Fianna Fáil leader, who is due to face the Mahon Tribunal again next month, said the Revenue Commissioners have to wait until the inquiry reports before they can decide his tax status.
Next week, Fine Gael and Labour are tabling a motion of confidence in the Mahon Tribunal, which has been heavily criticised by some Government ministers for prurient grilling of Mr Ahern on his 1990s marital separation.
Asked by reporters in Dublin today if he had considered leaving office, Mr Ahern declared: “Never. I just got a mandate a few months ago so I have to see that out. Maybe 2012.”
Mr Ahern also repeated assertions that he is satisfied he is tax compliant even though he is unable to produce a tax clearance certificate to the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo).
Fine Gael has formally filed a complaint against Mr Ahern with Sipo which alleges that he is not tax compliant.
Mr Ahern said: “The position taken by the Revenue is that they can’t finalise it until Mahon’s work is finished. That’s fine by me. I have no difficulty with that, I have no difficulty with the Revenue position,”
“My tax advice, and I think many independent tax advisers have said the same on the airwaves, that there’s no difficulty with that position. So the application certificate, I’ll submit, and then as soon as the matters are finished I will finalise with Revenue and then I will submit the tax clearance certificate.”
He told reporters that there were no outstanding matters between him and the Revenue.
“They have asked me a number of questions, at different times last year. We have comprehensively dealt with them. So there’s nothing outstanding between me and Revenue. And I understand Revenue’s position.
“So we will just have to wait until Mahon is finalised. I will submit the application certificate and then when it’s finalised I will submit the full tax clearance cert.”
Mr Ahern was today opening a new public information centre on Ireland’s overseas aid programme.
The state-of-the-art Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre (IAVC) on O’Connell Street features interactive displays, temporary exhibitions and a workshop area.
