Ireland's tax mirage: How US tax reform fuelled a corporate tax boom – and why it may not last
Ireland's Tax Mirage
A combination of Donald Trump's US tax changes and the ending of the double Irish tax scheme led to a huge Irish tax boom
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Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Government must reduce energy prices and bring down household bills, TD warns
The Government must reduce energy prices and bring down the sky-high cost of household bills, a TD has warned. Sinn Fein's Pa Daly insisted Irish householders were still paying too much for gas and electricity and that he now feared that a proposed new levy would hike prices even further. He grilled Environment Minister Darragh O'Brien on the issue in the Dail this week and called on him to rule out any new levies. It comes as senior Cabinet ministers have already hinted that there will be no energy credits this winter to offset costly bills. Deputy Daly said: 'Irish households are crippled by the most expensive electricity prices in Europe. Average electricity costs here are almost €1,800 per year, €350 more than the European average. 'The Government parties all promised they would introduce measures to help with the cost-of-living crisis when they were campaigning last November. 'Despite this, energy prices are 61% higher than they were in 2022. The Government has ruled out energy credits this year, saying they cannot become the norm. People are struggling, yet as part of the energy security review, the Government has suggested another levy, which would push up bills even further.' However Mr O'Brien insisted his Government was looking at ways to reduce household energy bills. He said: 'The programme for Government acknowledges the growing energy price and cost pressures on households and businesses and commits to bringing forward measures to contain these costs. 'The Government recently approved an extension of the 9% VAT rate currently applied to gas and electricity by a further six months to October 2025. 'That will cost an estimated €85million and it will be looked at again in the context of the budget. 'My department has established a cross-government energy affordability task force to identify, assess and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses. 'The focus of the task force will be on medium and long-term structural reform measures to address high energy costs in line with the EU action plan for affordable energy.' But Deputy Daly stated that this wasn't going far enough. He added: 'There is an awful lot the minister can do to bring down household electricity prices. The additional costs on household bills make up around 50% of the final electricity price to consumers. 'The programme for Government omitted any mention of network charges. It gave a vague commitment to explore funding models for the PSO to reduce bills. Is the minister going to do that?'
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Military parade rolls through Washington as protesters across US decry Trump
A massive military parade to celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary, requested by President Donald Trump to coincide with his birthday, rolled through Washington DC on Saturday. It came as opponents of the president's agenda rallied in hundreds of cities nationwide for 'No Kings' protests. Despite concerns about lightning and thunderstorms, the rain held to a slight drizzle during the march of soldiers and machinery. Demonstrators confront police during a demonstration against President Donald Trump policies (AP/Jose Luis Magana) Heavy cloud cover and low visibility seemed to contribute to less of an aircraft presence in the parade. As the parade was underway, police in Los Angeles fired tear gas and flash bangs to try to disperse demonstrators challenging immigration raids. Clouds of gas wafted toward a family-friendly demonstration that had been going on for hours outside City Hall. The procession, with more than 6,000 soldiers and 128 Army tanks, was one Mr Trump tried to make happen in his first term after seeing such an event in Paris in 2017, but the plans never came together until the parade was added to an event recognising the Army's 250th anniversary. 'Every other country celebrates their victories. It's about time America did too,' Mr Trump declared in brief remarks at the parade's end. The president praised the strength of the military's fighting forces and said US soldiers 'fight, fight, fight and they win, win, win' — putting a new twist on a line he regularly delivered during his 2024 campaign rallies after he survived an assassination attempt. A military parade commemorating the army's 250th anniversary and coinciding with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday (AP/Jacquelyn Martin) At times, Mr Trump stood and saluted as troops marched past the reviewing stand. Attendance appeared to fall far short of early predictions that as many as 200,000 people would attend the festival and parade. There were large gaps between viewers near the Washington Monument on a day when steamy weather and the threat of thunderstorms could have dampened turnout. Hours before the parade started, demonstrators turned out in streets and parks around the nation to voice opposition to the Republican president. They criticised Mr Trump for using the military to respond to people protesting his deportation efforts and for the muscular military show in the US capital. As armoured vehicles rolled down the street in front of the president, on the other side of the country the Marines he deployed to Los Angeles appeared at a demonstration for the first time, standing guard outside a federal building. President Donald Trump participates in a reenlistment ceremony for Army soldiers during a military parade (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Dozens of Marines stood shoulder to shoulder in full combat gear beside the National Guard, Homeland Security officers and other law enforcement. Hundreds of protesters facing them jeered in English and Spanish, telling the troops to go home. In Washington, hundreds protesting Mr Trump carried signs with messages that included 'Where's the due process?' and 'No to Trump's fascist military parade' as they marched toward the White House. A larger-than-life puppet of Mr Trump was wheeled through the crowd, a caricature of the president wearing a crown and sitting on a golden toilet. Other protesters waved Pride flags and hoisted signs, some with pointed messages such as 'I prefer crushed ICE,' referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Other messages included: 'The invasion was HERE Jan. 6th, NOT in LA' and 'Flip me off if you're a FASCIST.' 'No Kings' rallies unfolded in hundreds of cities, designed to counter what organisers said were Mr Trump's plans to feed his ego on his 79th birthday and Flag Day. People hold signs reading, 'NO KINGS,' during a protest taking place on the day of a military parade commemorating the Army's 250th anniversary (AP/Rod Lamkey Jr) Organisers said they picked the name to support democracy and speak out against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. On the National Mall, a display of armoured vehicles, helicopters and military-grade equipment was set up to commemorate the Army's birthday. Vendors outside the army festival sold gear marking the military milestone. Others hawked Trump-themed merchandise. UFC chief executive Dana White, centre, smiles during the parade (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP) Larry Stallard, a retired American Airlines pilot, said he travelled to Washington from Kansas City for the weekend 'to see the military and see Trump.' Mr Stallard, who voted for Mr Trump, said it was 'hard to believe' people were upset about the cost of the event when 'they blow that in 10 seconds on things that we don't even need'. The parade was added just two months ago to the long-planned celebration of the army's birthday and has drawn criticism for its price tag of up to 45 million dollars (£33 million) and the possibility that the lumbering tanks could tear up city streets. About six in 10 Americans said Saturday's parade was 'not a good use' of government money. The vast majority of people, 78%, said they neither approve nor disapprove of the parade overall, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research.
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Obituary: Carmencita Hederman, former lord mayor of Dublin, city councillor, senator and environmental campaigner
She was born Carmencita Cruess-Callaghan on October 23, 1939, into a family in Blackrock, Co Dublin, headed by bacteriological chemist Dr George Cruess-Callaghan and his wife Ita. Carmencita later studied at Trinity College Dublin. Archbishop of Dublin John Charles McQuaid had banned members of his Catholic congregation from attending TCD, but gave Carmencita a dispensation to enrol as a student there. French and Italian were among the subjects she took and she went on to acquire a Master's degree in July 1969. Earlier, in St Patrick's Church, Blackrock, on June 26, 1962, she married William (Billy) Hederman, a respected doctor and surgeon from Croom, Co Limerick, who served as president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in 1990-92. The couple bought a house on Leeson Street while on honeymoon. In April 1968, when a draft city development plan proposed rezoning the area into office blocks, a letter of opposition she wrote to The Irish Times galvanised her neighbours and a group called Upper Leeson Street Area Residents Association was formed, which successfully campaigned to keep the zone for residential-use only. On June 22, 1987, she was elected lord mayor of Dublin, succeeding Bertie Ahern. Hederman garnered support from a 'rainbow coalition' of Fine Gael, Labour, Workers' Party, Progressive Democrats and three Independents, including the late Tony Gregory, and won by a single vote over Fianna Fáil's Ned Brennan, who was tipped as the favourite. The first woman to hold the post in 30 years, during her 12 months in office she played a leading role in Dublin's millennium celebrations of 1988, marking the takeover of the city by the Irish from the Vikings. She was a strong opponent of what she called 'destructive dual carriageways' in the city centre and their effect on inner-city communities. In August 1989, she was elected as an Independent member of Seanad Éireann on the Dublin University Panel along with Shane Ross and David Norris. She found it a difficult place to make significant progress on issues and did not stand in the next general election. Hederman was very interested in running as an Independent candidate for president of Ireland in 1990. Securing a nomination requires the support of at least four local councils or 20 members of the Oireachtas. She discussed the matter at an early stage with then-Fine Gael leader Alan Dukes, who was prepared to consider nominating her if she joined the party and ran as a Fine Gael candidate. 'She would have liked to be a candidate, but she wasn't prepared to adopt the party label,' he said last week. The party later nominated Austin Currie and the successful candidate was Mary Robinson. More recently, in light of events in Gaza, she supported the successful campaign for TCD to divest from Israeli organisations and academic institutions and companies operating in Occupied Palestine and on the United Nations' blacklist. She was a mother of five children and grandmother of nine. Her daughter, Wendy, was elected to Dublin City Council as a Progressive Democrat candidate for the Pembroke area in 2004. She was involved in key local issues, but retired from politics in 2007. Predeceased by her husband Billy in 2016, Carmencita Hederman passed away peacefully at the Royal Hospital, Donnybrook, on May 31.
