The Cross-Border Workers Coalition has been set up to tackle remote working tax rules for cross border workers. Pictured is Paul Quinn, Sinead Logue and Conor Dowds.
The recently established Cross Border Workers Coalition set up to to place pressure on the Irish Government to make changes to personal tax liability rules for employees resident in the Republic of Ireland, but who work in Northern Ireland, has stated it is “making good progress” in building support for the campaign.
The group has said the response has been significant after a heavy round of engagements with elected representatives and employees of companies right across the North West.
Facilitated by Senator Elisha McCallion, the group recently met with NI Finance Minister, Conor Murphy who committed to examining the issue and raising it with his opposite number Finance Minister Paschal Donohue in the coming weeks.
The backing for the campaign has brought interest from right across the border necklace region with representatives from the likes of Newry now involved with the push to tackle the legislation which currently doesn’t reflect current working practices.
The issue raised by the campaign group came into sharp focus when the Covid-19 pandemic took hold meaning thousands of employees were forced to work from home. With Donegal now moved to Level 3 of the Irish Government’s five-level alert plan and a high number of cases in other border areas, the fluid nature of the virus and the impact it has on individuals and business in border constituencies is clear to see.
The coalition has said there is a real fear among thousands of employees that if this burden is not dealt with now, the opportunity for a pragmatic solution to be found will have been lost.
In a joint statement, Conor Dowds, Paul Quinn and Aidan O’Kane from the Cross Border Workers Coalition steering group said:
“The support we have received over a short period of time has been really encouraging and we truly appreciate the backing and messages of goodwill received from elected representatives, the local councils and business groups. As this issue gains momentum and looks to the corridors of power in Dublin, we would encourage as many of those impacted to get involved.”
“We welcomed the recent engagement with the Finance Minister in Northern Ireland, Conor Murphy and his commitment to continue to push this with his counterpart in the south. There has been an acknowledgement from the Irish Revenue Commission that this is an issue they are aware of and we know that some companies who have employees that are subject to this tax have been sent letters of comfort that their liability will be temporarily waived during the pandemic.”
“As we face another potential six months of restrictions and instructions to work from home, the need for a permanent and pragmatic solution to this issue is clear to see. Now is the opportune moment to resolve this issue once and for all.”
“We are now calling on the Irish Finance Minister and his officials to meet with us directly and to bring a swift resolve to these matters.”