Cody's brother gets top tax job
A brother of Kilkenny hurling team manager Brian Cody has been named as one of the country's top tax officials.
The Government said yesterday that Niall Cody, who was not a hurler himself but is an enthusiastic supporter of the sport, has replaced Michael O'Grady as one of the three Revenue Commissioners who run the country's tax collection operations from offices in Dublin Castle.
Mr O'Grady retired recently from the post after 39 years in the Revenue Commission.
Niall Cody takes the post as the Revenue Commission tries to recover from a disastrous public relations blunder that saw the agency send thousands of threatening letters to pensioners who had paid all their taxes as well as tens of thousands more to pensioners who had accidentally failed to pay taxes on pensions.
Mr Cody's boss, Josephine Feehily, apologised to a Dail committee earlier this month for the confusion and distress the letters caused to some pensioners.
The Kilkenny native will be employed as a commissioner for seven years and will be paid €180,000 a year.
Mr Cody is seen as a policy expert inside the 6,000-strong Revenue Commissioners, where he headed the planning division that looks after strategy.
- Thomas Molloy
Irish Independent
