VAT - uncharitable taking
The campaign continues…

Irish Charities Tax Reform Group
11th Annual Conference
Friday 27th September 2002
The Gresham, Dublin

Supported by:

Keynote address by Commissioner David Byrne.

We are pleased to announce details of our 11th Annual Conference. For a biography of any of the speakers at the conference please click on the individual speakers name in the programme below. If you would like to attend the event please complete this registration form and return it to the address provided.

Programme

Keynote Speaker - Commissioner David Byrne

David Byrne was appointed as the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection in September 1999.

Prior to this, Mr Byrne was Attorney General in the Irish Government from 1997 to 1999. His principal political contribution during this time was as one of the negotiators of the Good Friday Agreement. He oversaw the major constitutional amendments required by that agreement and also advised on the constitutional amendments necessary for Ireland's ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty.

His previous career was as a barrister. After gaining a B.A. in Economics, Ethics and Politics at University College Dublin, he was called to the Bar in 1970 and became a Senior Counsel in 1985. During his student days, he founded the Free Legal Advice Centre. He is a Member of the International Court of Commercial Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators of England and Ireland.

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Biographies

Janice McAdam

Janice McAdam works as Development Director of Draíocht, the new arts centre in Dublin 15 and as a freelance consultant specialising in communications, fundraising and event management.

Originally from Armagh, she came to Dublin in 1987 to attend the Gaiety School of Acting after completing a BA degree at York University. She worked for several years as a professional actress before deciding to go behind the scenes. Since then Janice has worked with numerous arts and charity organisations. Most recently she was Director of Public Affairs in Project, managing the creation of their new identity and the launch of their new building in Temple Bar. She is a member of the Marketing Institute of Ireland, Board member of the Dublin International Dance Festival and former Chair of the Dublin Fringe Festival.

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Breen Cassidy

Breen is a Partner in Ernst and Young with over 20 years experience in VAT. He worked for the Irish Revenue Commissioners for 6 years prior to joining Ernst & Young in 1990. Since then he has worked on many national and international VAT consultancy
assignments and was involved in the preparation of in-depth reports for organisations with partial or no VAT recovery, e.g. State bodies, banking, financial and other clients, helping them to maximise VAT recovery.

Breen has also lectured widely on VAT and written articles for a number of
important publications. He is co-editor of the Irish VAT Acts which are
used by tax practitioners, businesses and the Irish Revenue authorities.

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Deirdre Mortell

Deirdre Mortell is Chair of the Irish Charities Tax Reform Group, a coalition of over 100 charitable and voluntary organisations which lobbies for tax reform to benefit charities. Formed in 1991, ICTRG has successfully lobbied governments to improve tax effective giving mechanisms to the voluntary and charitable sector, with notable success in 1995, 1998 and 2001.

Deirdre is also Director of Fundraising at Barnardos, Ireland's largest children's charity. She was Fundraising Manager of Oxfam Ireland and Northern Ireland from 1994-98. Deirdre holds a B.Comm. degree from University College Cork and an M.Phil. from Trinity College Dublin.

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Oonagh Breen

Oonagh Breen BL is a lecturer in the faculty of Law, University College Dublin. She received a Bachelor of Civil Law degree and an LL M by research from UCD. Since 1994 she has lectured in land law and competition law and now specializes in Equity and Trusts and has published in each of these areas.

She is co-author of the recently published report by the Law Society Charity Law: The Case for Reform, (Law Society 2002) which recommended far-reaching and necessary amendments to the existing domestic charity legislation. She has also acted as an expert consultant to the Law Reform Commission in the area of charity law reform.

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Kieron Brennan

Kieron has worked with a number of inner city groups as a social researcher and was a founder of Inner City Enterprise. After a number of years in the Department of Labour he joined the European Social Fund Evaluation Unit as a Programme evaluator. In 1996 he became Chief Executive of the Get Tallaght Working Co-operative (now Partas). Following this, Kieron was appointed Executive Director of Clann Credo Ltd. Continuing in social and ethical finance he joined Triodos Bank as Manager a year ago.

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Paul O'Sullivan

Paul O'Sullivan is Chief Executive Officer of Clann Credo, the Social Investment Fund. He joined Credo in June 2001, and comes from a background where 'building community and community capital' is part of his inheritance. He previously worked as a public relations and industrial relations consultant with Gallagher & Kelly PR, heading up GKPR's Employee Relations Division.

Before joining GKPR Paul was an industrial relations negotiator and union organiser with SIPTU where he represented workers in all sectors of the economy, health services, local government, marine transport and civil aviation. He was the Chief Negotiator in the Civil Aviation sector from 1993 to 1998. He managed two EU trade union initiatives on training and financial participation. Paul has lectured regularly on employee relations at Trinity College.

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Kathy Sinnott

Kathy has campaigned for the rights of vulnerable persons for 20 years. Through her court challenges, candidacy in recent elections and persistent lobbying she has created public awareness and rallied support for the disabled and their issues.

She is the founder and secretary of the Hope Project, an organisation which gives information and support to people with a disability and their families. She is a full time volunteer with the Hope Project Help line.

As Patron of the Irish Autism Alliance, she uses her particular expertise in autism to alert society to the escalating autism epidemic and to promote the welfare of children and adults who suffer from an autistic spectrum disorder. She is presently setting up La Pilar Integrated Early Learning, Research and Training Centre. Kathy lives in Ballinhassig Co. Cork and has nine children.

Irish Charities tax Reform Group
ISFC
10 Grattan Crescent
Inchicore
Dublin 8
ph: 01 453 1861
fax: 01 453 1862
email: admin@charitytaxreform.com
www.charitytaxreform.com
www.vatcampaign.com