Author Archive

To make Ireland a renowned centre for arts throughout the world. This is already our strength but let’s accelerate and expand all arts activities – music, literature, drama, film production, painting, sculpture, dance ,design creativity, fashion etc. The movement has already started but idea is to harness and give sustenance. We already have a drinking…

Here\’s the idea – at present there is approx. 40 -50 bln euros in irish private pension funds. These are funds that allow the individual to divert part of their pretax income towards their retirement with the caveat that they cannot draw down the money without a tax liability until they are 65. So here\’s…

To legalize cannabis in Ireland will have two effects: – Saving expenses releasing labor effort against drug dealers or using for other tasks. – Increases income tax. Dutch goverment earns 400 million euros annually in tax revenues from \’coffee shops.\’ This post was submitted by Pedro.

Canada announced a CAD$10m investment in young entrepreneurs. This “will enable the national charity to help more than 500 aspiring young entrepreneurs start new businesses and contribute quickly to Canada’s economic recovery. In total, by 2010, more than 900 entrepreneurs will start a business as a result of the government’s funding. These 900 new businesses…

The problem with the current recession is simple – how to best distribute work and accrued benefits fairly. The two extreme methods for doing for distributing work and benefits accrued, free-market capitalism (a free-for-all) and communism (State capitalism), have clearly failed. The solution lies in between. We had this system in Ireland 50 years where…

The level of fees payable by any student at third level should be linked to the fees paid by that student when at second level. If someone chooses to pay fees at second level (and the circumstances in which it is anything other than a choice are very very few, if any) then why should…

A blast from the past – a response to the 1980s crisis here in the Republic of Ireland. This was originally published as “Need Government Fail?” in Business & Finance 21 May 1987 “What is wrong with this country? Denis Brosnan, chief executive of Kerry Co-op, asked in his keynote address to the 1986 IMI…

As you say yourself David, only a competitive Ireland will recover from this recession. I suggest cutting the minimum wage to attract foreign investors and to keep small businesses afloat. Combine this with an increase in the standard working weeks hours from 39 to 45 will lead to increased production and savings on wages and…

My idea focuses on providing a tax rebate to those of us who have some credit card debt or short term debt. Target the rebate to the type of people who spend as they earn and therefore turn any rebate into VAT while stimulating the economy. They are the pockets the government needs to inject…

It is estimated that €500m is being lost in revenue due to sale of legal and illegal cigarettes. I am not surprised at ASH continuing to advocate an increase of €2 on a pack despite my having made them aware of the “law of diminishing returns”. I am surprised at Jim Power agreeing with this…