Finance Act 2024

Amendment of section 991B of Principal Act (Covid-19: special warehousing and interest provisions)

105. Section 991B of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by the deletion of subsection (7),

(b) by the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (8):

“(8) Where—

(a) this section applies to an employer,

(b) the employer complies with the employer’s obligations under the Acts,

(c) the employer has—

(i) before 1 May 2024, engaged with the Collector-General regarding the employer’s Covid-19 liabilities with a view to entering into an agreement to pay those liabilities, and

(ii) entered into an agreement referred to in subparagraph (i), whether before or after 1 May 2024,

and

(d) the employer complies with the obligations of the employer under the agreement entered into as referred to in paragraph (c)(ii),

no interest shall be due and payable by the employer in respect of the employer’s Covid-19 liabilities during Period 1, Period 2 and Period 3.”,

and

(c) by the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (10):

“(10) Where an employer—

(a) at any time during the period beginning on the first day of Period 1 and ending on 30 April 2024 fails to comply with the employer’s obligations under the Acts,

(b) is not an employer to whom subsection (8)(c) applies, or

(c) on or after 1 May 2024—

(i) fails to comply with the employer’s obligations under the Acts, or

(ii) fails to comply with an obligation referred to in subsection (8)(d),

simple interest shall be paid by the employer to the Revenue Commissioners on any amount of the Covid-19 liabilities remaining unpaid on—

(I) in a case to which paragraph (a) or (c) applies, the date on which the event resulting in failure to comply with the obligation concerned occurred, and

(II) in a case to which paragraph (b) applies, 1 May 2024,

and such interest shall be calculated from—

(A) in a case to which paragraph (a) applies, the date on which the event resulting in failure to comply with the obligation concerned occurred,

(B) in a case to which paragraph (b) applies, the first day of Period 3, and

(C) in a case to which paragraph (c) applies, 1 May 2024,

until payment of the amount for any day or part of a day during which that amount remains unpaid, at a rate of 0.0274 per cent.”.