The Taoiseach has defended the proposed 2% increase in the higher rate of VAT, saying it won’t apply to food, but only to purchases where the consumer has a choice. Certainly this was the spirit of the original VAT rules - the zero rate of VAT was clearly intended for basic staple items. You can [...]

This is the second of two articles exploring in depth the question of the impact of Ireland’s tax strategies on developing countries. The first article appeared yesterday.

In the first article in this series, I described the dominant tax consensus, and how Ireland has played the game of tax competition to attract multinational investment through the [...]

This is the first of two articles exploring in depth the question of the impact of Ireland’s tax strategies on developing countries. The second article will appear tomorrow.
Through the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ireland built enormous short-term economic growth on the single plank of lowering tax rates to attract in foreign direct investment. [...]