Irish Lions: Maro Itoje will captain
Ronan McGreevy takes a closer look at the history of how VE Day was reported in Ireland.
Patsy McGarry reports from Rome as the Catholic Church's most senior leaders meet in conclave today, to elect a successor to Pope Francis.
India attacked Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday with several deaths reported. Pakistan is calling the assault a 'blatant act of war'.
Dublin City Council have opened a Mobility School in Eamonn Ceannt Park, Crumlin, a fun and safe environment to learn and practise cycling. Video: Bryan O'Brien
Just outside of Kinsale, Co Cork, a community group have banded together in an effort to buy a local pub, the Harbour Bar. Video: Enda O'Dowd
Pat Doherty of the Doagh Famine Village shows us the damage inflicted by a fire over the weekend on the family owned museum in County Donegal. Video: Joe Dunne
US President Donald Trump has ordered a new 100% tariff on all movies made outside of the US, claiming Hollywood is dying a 'very fast death'.
Still producing work in his Dublin studio, the artist Michael Kane celebrates his 90th birthday this year. Video: Bryan O'Brien
Political Editor of The Irish Times, Pat Leahy, reviews the beginning of Micheál Martin's second term as Taoiseach. Video: Dan Dennison
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Irish Independent
36 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
China and US agree to more tariff talks amid trade stand-off
latest | Will Weissert ©Associated Press China and the US have agreed to more tariff talks amid a trade stand-off and concerns over rare earths, President Donald Trump said after a call with China's leader. Mr Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke on Thursday at a time when stalled tariff negotiations between their two countries have impacted global trade.
Irish Times
41 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Corporate tax receipts drop 30% as Trump's tariffs bite
Corporate tax receipts fell by 30 per cent in May, amounting to a loss of over €1.1 billion when compared to the same month last year, amid signs US tariffs may be denting the profitability of multinationals in Ireland. The latest exchequer returns for May, published by the Department of Finance, indicated that the Government collected just under €2.5 billion in corporate taxes last month, compared to almost €3.6 billion in May last year. The department insisted, however, that 'once-off factors' had boosted receipts in May last year which distorted the year-on-year comparison. Nonetheless with most EU exports currently facing a 10 per cent levy in the US, possibly rising to 50 per cent if negotiations between Brussels and Washington fail, exporting companies here may be predicting lower earnings READ MORE [ Subscriber Only Opinion Ireland cannot base its economic strategy on the 'Taco' theory – Trump Always Chickens Out Opens in new window ] On a cumulative basis, receipts from the business tax were up by €1.1 billion at €7.4 billion but this reflects once-off revenues from the EU court ruling against Apple. When they are removed, corporate tax receipts to the end of May were down 9.4 per cent at €5.7 billion. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said: ' May is one of the more important months for tax revenues, and the steady growth in most tax headings points to an economy that is in a relatively good position." 'The most notable feature of the May exchequer returns was in respect of corporation tax, which saw a marked year-on-year drop,' he said. 'While this reflects once-off factors last year, it nonetheless highlights the degree of concentration in the corporate tax base, wherein a small number of multinational firms can significantly impact on the overall tax yield,' Mr Donohoe said. 'In a context of unprecedented uncertainty in the international economic landscape, this serves as a timely reminder of Ireland's exposure to changes in the global trading environment, and of the vital importance of adhering to a sensible and sustainable budgetary strategy,' he said. Overall the latest exchequer data show the Government collected €38.2 billion in tax revenue during the first five months of the year. This was up nearly €3 billion or 8.5 per cent on the same period last year aided by positive increases in income tax and VAT. Income tax receipts, the Government's largest tax channel, generated €14.5 billion, €630 million more than last year, reflecting the State's strong labour market. Separate figures, published on Thursday, put the headline rate of unemployment near a historic low of 4 per cent. VAT receipts for the year so far were also up by €600 million at €11.4 billion. The sales tax reflects consumer activity. On the spending side, total gross voted expenditure for the five-month period amounted to just under €42 billion, up by €3.1 billion (8.1 per cent) on last year and €37 million (0.1 per cent) behind profile. At a headline level, an exchequer surplus of €4 billion was recorded compared to a surplus of €0.8 billion last year, an improvement of €3.2 billion. Excluding the once-off receipts arising from the Apple tax case, the underlying surplus was €0.7 billion.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
HAP caps should be revised regularly to reflect rental market, Ombudsman says
Overly complex processes and the duplication of work by local authorities causing delays to housing assistance payment (HAP) applications, alongside the refusal of legitimate applications, were among the issues discovered by an Ombudsman investigation. Ombudsman Ger Deering said his office received numerous complaints from the public, and identified shortcomings through voluntary housing and homeless groups regarding the scheme before its investigation. Launched in 2014, the HAP payment to landlords was intended to cover the full cost of a household's rent. Due to significant increases in rent rates, however, two-thirds of HAP households were paying the difference between the HAP cap and the actual cost of rent in 2023. Some 53,742 households were in receipt of HAP at the end of 2024, meaning the same number of rentals have been removed from the private rental sector, the Ombudsman said, contributing to a sustained increase in the rate of rents. READ MORE The availability of rental properties coming under the HAP limits is declining as rents increase, prompting a recommendation from the Ombudsman that caps should be revised on a regular basis to reflect the rental market. [ More than 100 families in Dublin at risk of homelessness as tenant-in-situ applications paused Opens in new window ] Among the findings of its investigation into HAP's administration was a 'duplication of work' being done by local authorities resulting in potential delays. Although households approved for social housing support are immediately eligible for HAP, they must make separate applications, resulting in repetition. The report also highlighted the 'overly complex' requirement for local authorities to seek approval from the HAP shared services centre (SSC) before amendments to HAP records or applications for approval can be made. It noted that the SSC processed 5,821 amendments in one sample month during the investigation. The investigation also found further 'unnecessary delays' when it comes to validating applications and verifying landlords' proof of ownership. Delays increase the risk of inability to secure properties, it said. Separately, the Ombudsman found that some local authorities are refusing HAP applications despite all evidence suggesting a tenancy is legitimate, while others have approved HAP where it should not have been. Local authorities have 'broad discretion' when determining whether a tenancy is genuine, with decisions not always accounting for each case being different or nuanced. In particular, it said local authorities place 'undue weight on family relationships even where all other evidence suggests the tenancy is legitimate'. Separately, despite being legislatively considered socially housed, HAP tenants do not have access to the same benefits as their counterparts in standard social housing such as tailored arrears repayment plans. These inequities pose a risk of HAP tenants falling into a 'poverty trap,' it said. 'This unfairness is compounded by the fact that they do not have the security of tenure that their counterparts in other forms of social housing have,' the Ombudsman said.
