Leo Varadkar

[mikehunt]

You don’t see the hypocrisy of someone celebrating when the government are successful in laundering 19bn out of the economy then a few days later criticising government actions that lead to the closure of the local coffee shop? I know this may be a stretch for you but imagine how handy that 19bn would have gone to help out during this pandemic. How much would it have cost to keep that coffee shop afloat until the pandemic is over?

[Ashman]

@Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy

Because MNCs hardly pay any tax relative to their profits.

They will soon I feel & that may not be good for Ireland Inc

[mikehunt]

@flattythehurdler

I’d be a fan of a sliding scale tax for employers. The more employees you have (proper employees), the less tax on your profits. If a country like tanland, swathes of which are utterly miserable, provided the employers were located accordingly, it could greatly even things out.

That’s what they do here. SMEs subsidise the MNCs. Very equitable behaviour.

[count_of_monte_crist]

The EU were attacking Ireland’s sovereignty, that might have been a thinly veiled vehicle to forelock tug to the MNCs , but our tax regime is not the business of the EU.

[flattythehurdler]

Third highest income per capita in the world.
Only concern is it all seems to feed ever higher prices for pretty much everything.
I don’t see it collapsing anytime soon, Ireland is living through a golden age of employment, which would have continued unabated from the early nineties if it weren’t for personal and corporate greed. Price of sites is rising steadily again I note with interest. The MNC horse is there to be ridden as long as the EU stays as it is imho.
If other EU countries get their oar in the water properly, especially those like Slovenia with high literacy, wide multilingualism and good education, it may poke a few holes, but none that can’t be patched.

[Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy]

It can only be good.

Ireland’s reliance on MNC’s is toxic, they are beholden to them and wanting to make sweetheart deals with them. It’s not good when they have that bargaining power. A fair proportion of their employees are highly paid/skilled migrant employees who only further add to the rental market crisis.

If MNCs want to take advantage of what Ireland has to offer they should pay their fair % of corporation tax which they are not doing at present.

[TheUlteriorMotive]

@mikehunt

That’s what they do here. SMEs subsidise the MNCs. Very equitable behaviour.

Who do you think all those SMEs work for - who are their clients and customers.

The MNCs supports most of the Irish economy - hotels, bars, restaurants, builders, gyms, beauty salons, music venues, furniture stores, garden centres, professional services, taxi drivers, couriers, etc etc all sell to the MNCs and their well paid employees

[Ashman]

@Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy

It can only be good.

If MNCs want to take advantage of what Ireland has to offer they should pay their fair % of corporation tax which they are not doing at present.

With all due respect there is a fair aul paradox in the above paragraph .

[mikehunt]

@TheUlteriorMotive

ho do you think all those SMEs work for - who are their clients and customers.

All good and well but that doesn’t mean they should pay less tax.

[tallback]

@mikehunt

@Biff_Egan

Our effective rate of collection is very close to the headline rate.

That’s gibberish in fairness. They should be pay the stated 12.5% stated corporation tax. Irish Revenue enabled MNC tax evasion which is why the EU brought the case against Apple. EU Court ruled that tax evasion is allowable in Ireland if the law allows it. It’s illegal in the rest of the EU. There were lads here who were celebrating this decision and a few days later were screaming blue murder about the economic impact of their local coffee shop going out of business because of a pandemic.

By your argument I think you should pay the headline rate of higher rate personal tax - not your effective tax rate.

You’re cheating us all Mike - for shame.

[TheUlteriorMotive]

They do pay tax. Tax is a competitive advantage Ireland can offer. We’re a tiny island off the coast of Europe.

MNCs have driven the growth in wealth for all people in Ireland. How many electricians work in Intel etc etc

If you want to die on a principle that’s fine but you’d knock over the entire Irish economy

[Massey]

Too big to fail eh.Where have we heard that before?

[mikehunt]

@count_of_monte_crist

The EU were attacking Ireland’s sovereignty, that might have been a thinly veiled vehicle to forelock tug to the MNCs , but our tax regime is not the business of the EU.

The Irish sovereign state weren’t long telling us that water charges were mandatory or that we can’t burn the bondholders because the EU or ECB said so. It’s amusing to see how they cherry pick rules and regulations. It’ll be amusing seeing them go cap in hand to the EU for a post Covid digout.

[TheUlteriorMotive]

Strawman.

Engage on the merits of what I said or go and fuck off.

[mikehunt]

@TheUlteriorMotive

They do pay tax. Tax is a competitive advantage Ireland can offer. We’re a tiny island off the coast of Europe.

Sigh, they don’t pay the 12.5% which is the stated rate.

[StoneCold]

Can someone propose an alternative to MNCs, if they upped sticks and left, that would replace the hole in the tax take that isn’t pie in the sky?

Also, how would the social welfare required to pay an extra couple of hundred thousand be covered in the short term and where would these people then find employment? How would increases in pay to frontline workers being proposed be then covered also?

[mikehunt]

@tallback

By you’re argument I think you should pay the headline rate of higher rate personal tax - not your effective tax rate.

You’re cheating us all Mike - for shame.

The differnece between me and MNCs is that I can’t give Revenue the nudge to give me a sweet deal.

[Massey]

Go and have a nap there your very techy today.

[mikehunt]

@StoneCold

Can someone propose an alternative to MNCs, if they upped sticks and left, that would replace the hole in the tax take that isn’t pie in the sky?

Who’s saying they should leave? We’re only saying they should pay the stated rate of tax. Where are they going to move to? Don’t know of any other countries that offer such a low rate.

[StoneCold]

Are there any other examples, other than Apple, of MNCs not paying the 12.5%?

Is the proposal to increase from 12.5% and tempt MNCs to leave? To play bluff with a sector that already contributes a huge amount to the public purse?