I mentioned previously that the run-up to the budget is my favourite time.  We get all manner of sloganeering and mantras.  Take this one:  a pro-business budget.  This usually refers…

The run-up to the budget is my favourite time of the year.   Commentary on Irish taxation tends towards the deliciously deceiving, hilariously spurious or just plain weird.  And the Irish…

Whenever one compares Irish government finances with that of other small open economies or Nordic countries, showing that we spend far less on public services, social protection and investment someone…

Education, the skill-base of the labour force, human capital:  this is the key to growth in the future.  This is the key to increasing people’s life-chances.   Michael Noonan referred to…

There has been so much written about the Apple tax ruling.  Here I look at some of the longer-term implications.  But let’s first nail down some confusions and misunderstandings. First,…

Workers at Dublin Bus are on strike.  They certainly have had a difficult time of it since the recession started:  no wage increase since 2008, have not been paid a…