Ryanair questions Aer Lingus’ EUR32.5m provision

Ryanair announced it is unhappy about a EUR32.5 million provision announced by Aer Lingus that relates to the tax treatment of past redundancy payments (Accountancy Age, 25-Feb-2011). Ryanair has a 29.8% stake in Aer Lingus and stated it wants to know who was involved in the original negotiations and is asking why Aer Lingus believed that there were no tax liabilities. Aer Lingus has decided to seek a settlement with the government. The airline stated it does not want to risk disputing the assessment and being charged even more.