The Irish Economy

Reading a summary of the financial position of Facebook Ireland recently, once again brought home to me the extent to which the activities of such well-known profitable companies clearly display a crass regard for any true ethical obligation with respect to tax liabilities. According to the Financial Times, Facebook used a complex tax avoidance scheme to limit its corporation tax bill to €1.9 ml. in 2012 (based on a turnover of €1.79 bl.) That would work out as just a little over .1%! However of the €1.79 bl. turnover a truly incredible €1.75 bl. relates to administrative expenses for the use of intellectual property. This money (i.e. royalty payments) is paid into a special holding company Facebook Holdings that is incorporated in Ireland but registered elsewhere for tax purposes. So the money in turn passes through this company on its way to subsidiaries based abroad. Many of these appear to be located in the Cayman Islands where no tax is payable. Of course Facebook is not alo

I was watching an interesting programme presented by Ian Kehoe (from The Sunday Business Post) showing how the recent resurgence in the Irish economy owes a great deal to a considerable amount of overseas capital investment, especially with respect to sales of distressed property. As is well known the Irish property boom came to a shuddering halt in 2008 leading to massive falls in value with respect to both residential and commercial property. Many of the largest loans on these properties were sold to NAMA (an Irish state organisation that has arguably now become the largest property company in the world). Likewise, many other assets however still exist on the banks' balance sheets, which they are anxious to sell to the highest bidder. And as Irish developers no longer possess the financial means, these assets are being quickly sold principally to the US (on both coasts) the UK and other international investors. Some of these assets have been bought up also by successful Ir

The US Senate hearings on the tax avoidance activities of Apple last week places uncomfortable attention on Ireland’s relationship with this key multinational company. This followed a Public Accounts Committee into the affairs of Google who again are effectively using Ireland as a means of legally paying virtually no tax in the UK. And they are by means alone in this regard. For example an article in the Wall Street Journal back in 2005, highlighted the manner in which Microsoft used two subsidiary companies operating within a law firm in Dublin to again substantially reduce their overall tax liability. Then when questioning the extremely high cost of prescribed drugs In Ireland, one can also point to a growing concentration of the pharmaceutical sector. 9 of the top 10 multinationals are now in operation here with - I strongly suspect - tax avoidance on their global operations a major consideration. One of the key consequences of all of that due to a growing unhealthy level of dep