Plan to control invasive species of turtles awarded funding
Hundreds of turtles have been dumped into Ireland's waterways over the past 20 years, after people who buy them for cuteness often later abandon them due to their size and care requirements.
This is according to Senior Science Officer at the Herpetological Society of Ireland Rob Gandola, and comes as a plan to control invasive North American freshwater turtles has been awarded funding via the Local Biodiversity Action Fund.
Several local authorities will now develop turtle control protocols and best practice guidelines for a particular species of freshwater turtle known as the pond slider (Trachemys).
Pond sliders are considered to be highly invasive and hence are included on the EU list of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Gandola said even though a ban on the import of this genus of turtles has been in effect since 1997, they are still widely traded as babies when it is hard to differentiate them from non-banned, closely related species.
"So we end up with the current situation of people buying for 'cuteness' and then abandoning due to large size, and advanced care requirements," Mr Gandola said.
Over the past 20 years, Mr Gandola says that "literally hundreds" of individual turtles have been dumped in Ireland and released into waterways.
"There have been no studies to date on the ecology of these non-native turtles in Ireland.
"So, we have no idea about the impacts they may or may not be having on native species, but the EU says that we as a country are required by law to control them," he added.
Mr Gandola said that right now the law requires people who find a pond slider and wish to keep it to get a permit, but no permitting system exists.
"As far as we know, and it is unlikely under current climate conditions, Trachemys cannot successfully breed and recruit in Ireland.
"So, all these animals are former pets who have enjoyed consistent feeding until they are abandoned," he added.
All sightings of pond sliders in Ireland should be reported to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
Around 262 community projects and local authorities were awarded funding via the Local Biodiversity Action Fund yesterday.
In total, €2.9 million was awarded in funding for local biodiversity projects across the country.
Some of the other projects funded include a 'Hare's Corner' project with the aim of creating new habitats to benefit biodiversity.
Five local authorities will undertake 'Return to Nature' projects, in support of the Catholic Church's target to return 30% of church grounds to nature by the end of the decade.
Six local authorities will undergo workshops to support policies to reduce light pollution.
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Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
Is there any tax disadvantage to gifting my children money now rather than as inheritance?
Can you give up to €400,000 to each of your children as a gift while you are alive but they use their €400k inheritance tax free allowance so that they pay no tax now. They have not received any inheritance to day (only the €6k per annum from my husband and myself). I do understand that when we die all of their inheritance will be subject to 33% tax but feel they could do with the €400k now for house deposits. Ms J.G. READ MORE Well this is refreshing. Not that you have €400,000 to gift each of your children though that is certainly their good fortune but that you are alert to considering when such a tax free gift might best be of use to them. The tax rules are very clear. Your children are entitled to receive a certain amount by way of gift or inheritance without liability to tax. Everyone is but the amount that can be gifted or inherited tax free is far higher for children receiving from their parents than any other group. The actual threshold can change from time to time but, right now, it is €400,000. This is called the Category A tax free threshold. Category B, which governs gifts and inheritances received from a blood relative – a sibling, grandparent or aunt/uncle – is just €40,000. Category C, which covers all other relationships, is half of that again, €20,000. The thing to remember is all of these are 'lifetime' limits, covering everything a person has received since December 5th, 1991. So, if someone gets an inheritance from one parent of, say, €50,000, they have just €350,000 left for any future parent inheritances and gifts. If the tax-free thresholds change, that might change, as your allowance is always measured against the tax-free threshold in place at the time the beneficiary receives their gift or inheritance. As you note in your query, when it comes to gifts, it is also important to remember that the first €3,000 of any gift from any person is not counted against their lifetime tax-free limit as it is covered separately under something called the small gift exemption. If both parents are party to the gift, the exemption is €6,000, as the beneficiary is entitled to receive €3,000 from any individual and clearly the parents count as two individuals. But the small gift exemption counts strictly against gifts given in a particular tax year. So, for instance, your child cannot receive a gift of €12,000 from you and your husband to help with a house deposit and then suggest to the tax authorities that it covers this year and next. That wouldn't work. In that case, €6,000 comes under the small gift exemption and the remaining €6,000 is marked against their lifetime limit. The small gift exemption is a really tax efficient structure for parents and even grandparents or other family looking to give a financial hand to children or younger relatives – at least for those fortunate enough to have the financial wriggle room to consider it. Of course, for the parent or other benefactor, this gift is coming from after-tax income. A gift of even €1,000 per parent per year over a couple of decades of a young person's life would give them a pot of €50,000 at the age of 25 even without any investment gain – a handy pot for a deposit on a first home. In your case, you are fortunate enough to be in the position to consider handing over €400,000 to each of your children while you are still alive. There is absolutely nothing to stop you doing so: the only reason more people don't consider substantial lifetime gifts is that they frankly would not have anything like the resources to be able to do so. For most people, the money they will leave their children is locked up in their own home. Whether it make sense to do so is another thing and one only you can judge. You mention house deposits but €400,000 would buy a home mortgage free outside Dublin according to Central Statistics Office figures showing the average price of property at €364,000. Even in Dublin, where the average is €450,000 in the first quarter of this year, it would leave a young couple almost mortgage free. While big mortgages can certainly be a burden, there is a valuable financial discipline for young adults in learning how to manage finances, including managing debt. Paying a mortgage also provides a credit history which can be useful down the line. It might be worth considering whether, while a financial helping hand now is useful in funding a first home, a windfall at a future date might also be welcome as your children face college costs for any children they have or, indeed, allow them to give those children a helping hand with their own home deposits. It is certainly worth weighing up the merits of giving, say, half that sum now so that a similar amount would remain available to them. Of course, even if you do proceed with this gift in full and with capital acquisitions tax (CAT) on future inheritance, your children will still benefit from two-thirds of whatever future inheritance comes their way from either of you given the current CAT tax rate of 33 per cent. For now, on the tax side, from your children's perspective, as they have received no inheritance from either of you to date and no gifts in excess of the €6,000 between the pair of you each year, they will have no tax to pay on the gift. There is certainly no tax disadvantage either to you or your children in choosing to gift now rather than them waiting for an inheritance. What they will have to do, however, is file a return with the Revenue. This is obligatory once a beneficiary passes the 80 per cent mark of each of the three thresholds. It is determined not by the size of the individual inheritance or gift but the cumulative impact of large gifts and inheritances down the years. The return is made via an IT38 form. This is available online from Revenue through either the myAccount or ROS platforms, whichever is relevant to each of your children. There is also a paper form alternative. Hopefully, such a gift will give them considerably more than a house deposit but certainly, used wisely, it could help them enormously in those early adult years when they are investing in their future, and possibly juggling childcare costs that remain a real financial burden on many families. As you say, unless the threshold rises from the current level, your €400,000 gift means each child will pay tax at 33 per cent on any future inheritance from either you or your husband. But the money – or at least some of it – is probably more use to them now than in will be in what could be many years time when you die. Please send your queries to Dominic Coyle, Q&A, The Irish Times, 24-28 Tara Street Dublin 2, or by email to with a contact phone number. This column is a reader service and is not intended to replace professional advice
RTÉ News
7 days ago
- RTÉ News
'When dads are supported, the whole family benefits'
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Although the report also showed that women still bear most of the carework within families, it is evident that fathers spend more and more time with their kids. From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, research from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the ESRI finds only half of fathers are taking their paternity leave entitlements But despite this diversity within parenting roles, policies and research for families have not caught up with these evolving family structures. Early research studies on parenting that led to the development of attachment theory, for example, focused exclusively on mothers as the primary caregiver, suggesting that fathers are only secondary to mothers. Although other studies quickly showed that fathers are equally forming attachments to their children, subsequent parenting research up to today has followed suit. Despite repeated calls for an increased focus on the paternal role in children's lives, studies still primarily recruit mothers but not fathers into their research. In our work at the UCD Babylab, we are aiming to proportionally represent fathers in our research, yet have encountered similar difficulties as previous studies in recruiting a balanced sample of parents. For example, in our recent online survey on toddlerhood, we received 407 responses from parents across the island of Ireland, yet only five responses from fathers. From RTÉ Radio 1's Brendan O'Connor Show, psychologist Maureen Gaffney on how your childhood relationship with your father is important for your emotional development This view of parenting within a large majority of studies has biased much of what we know today about children's development, which, in turn, has further implications for policies and programs for families. 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The Irish Sun
7 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Irish Govt's ‘emergency situation' preparation advice including 11 ‘may prove invaluable' items amid World War III fears
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