The Four Courts. The Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal by Iconic Newspapers over an article in one of its publications in which a businessman was incorrectly named as a tax defaulter.The Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal by Iconic Newspapers over an article in one of its publications in which a businessman was incorrectly named as a tax defaulter.
It stated: “Funfair/amusement activity operator William Bird, of Henry Street, reached three separate settlements for under-declaration of corporation tax and VAT, under-declaration of PAYE/PRSI and VAT, and under-declaration of corporation tax, in relation to three companies under his name. In total, the money paid to Revenue in his case amounted to €183,595.
The jury was only asked to decide whether the words complained of referred to Mr Bird and it found he did. On Wednesday, Mr Justice Brian O’Moore, on behalf of the three-judge CoA, ruled the High Court judge correctly decided the qualified privilege issue but he did not think the judge gave proper consideration to the exceptional question of law involved.