Monday Blog: Tax heresies and half-baked truths
Every heresy begins with a half-baked truth. Recent weeks have seen claims that the overall level of personal taxation in the Republic of Ireland is too high and that particular groups have been unduly burdened especially since the onset of fiscal austerity in 2009. Certainly, taxes were increased...
Monday Blog: The Summer of Big Numbers
And what a summer it has been. It was the summer of the ‘big numbers’. There was €13 billion in claimed back tax from Apple. There was an undisclosed large sum of money possibly running into billions in relation to vulture fund tax avoidance planning (referred to as ‘Section 110’ tax). The ultimate...
Presentation to Select Committee on Budgetary Oversight
External event contribution Tom McDonnell appeared before the Select Committee on Budgetary Oversight on the 6th of September 2016. In his opening statement on the Economic and Fiscal Position in the Context of Budget 2017 he discussed the fiscal space and identified priorities for inclusive growth in Budget 2017. These...
Opening Statement to the Budgetary Oversight Committee
External event contribution The Select Committee on Budgetary Oversight commenced a series of pre budget hearings last week with contributions from DKM, NERI, the Irish Central Bank, and the ESRI. The hearings will continue this week with contributions from the Fiscal Council and from the European Commission and then next week...
Monday Blog: More myth busting
Notwithstanding the highly significant events of recent days and the fall out from the recent UK referendum on EU membership this week’s Monday Blog is focussed on personal taxation trends over time in the Republic of Ireland. (Attention will be given to the implications of UK exit from the EU in...
Fiscal Space: A Short Primer
The parameters for Budget 2017 are set by the requirements of the preventive arm of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). The preventive arm is assessed under two main pillars. These are the Structural Balance Rule and the Expenditure Benchmark Rule. A balanced budget in structural terms is a...
Monday Blog: That time of year again
It is that time of year again. Like in the neighbouring island we drive on the left hand side of the road (as a general rule) and have an Annual Big Day (known as Budget Day) when the Minister for Finance announces the budget for the coming year. There is a lead in of many months of discussion in...
Monday Blog: What fiscal space?
In many respects the debate about ‘fiscal space’ is a major turn off for most people as it employs language, terms and concepts that are mechanical, contrived and highly dependent on questionable assumptions. Most policy makers tend to leave the technical details to specialist staff while they get...
Monday Blog: Do we overspend on health?
Ministerial responsibility for health services in the Republic of Ireland has been compared to a stay in some African country. For all its woes and failings the National Health Service (NHS) seems to be a badge of national pride in the UK even 60 years after its establishment. What is it about the...
Monday Blog: Women in the workforce, low pay and the cost of early childhood care and education.
Inequality of pay between women and men is a well documented statistical fact. But, what is the relationship between this gender gap and low pay? How is early childhood care relevant? And what are the implications for public policy and trade unions? This Blog looks at these questions in the Republic...