When is a political donation not a political donation?

Let’s recap some more.

A TD earns €92672K.

She pays her taxes. For a single PAYE worker in the private sector with standard deductions, that’s a net income of €55615.

You can get away with less, but let’s go with €55615.

If she’s a Sinn Féin TD, she takes home €530 a week. That’s €27560 a year. The balance goes to the party. Some TDs make donations to HQ of €6000, and all, apparently, hand monies to their constituency organisation above the €530 per week.

That’s €28055 donated to the party by our notional TD.

There are 14 Sinn Féin TDs, and three senators.

No Sinn Féin TD has declared a donation in any calendar year of more than €6000.

Some TDs and senators have not declared any donations in some calendar years.

SIPO has no record of multiple donations at local and national level from any Sinn Féin TD.

SIPO has no record of any advice to Sinn Féin about their “average wage” arrangement.

And a Sinn Féin senator thinks a donation to the party at local level is not a political donation.