What will the budget mean for the cost of a bike, a heat pump, the internet and your energy bill? All the focus is on income tax, but decisions on VAT and excise are vital for your spending powerThu Aug 01 2024 - 10:56
Internet VAT rate cut being considered for budget would reduce household billsUnder an EU directive, member states can apply a reduced rate to internet access services to promote their developmentThu Aug 01 2024 - 06:00
Darragh O’Brien’s department hates the idea of a housing body. That’s one of the reasons why we need oneCalls for new quangos should resisted, but there are three reasons to support the establishment of a small powerful group to oversee housing deliverySat Jul 27 2024 - 07:15
Double child benefit weeks? Higher electricity bills? Five key decisions for October’s budgetTax is the number one thorny issue for the Government to deal withThu Jul 25 2024 - 10:56
What would Trump’s Maganomics mean for Ireland? Things might get uglyThe economic risks of Donald Trump’s policies have big implications for Ireland - it is time to start taking them much more seriouslySun Jul 21 2024 - 07:00
The ECB is sitting on the fence– so what does that mean for your mortgage rate?Hopes of a steady reduction in interest rates are being called into question and the ECB says what will happen at its next meeting remains " wide open”Thu Jul 18 2024 - 11:30
What are the key arguments about the economic study of Dublin’s traffic plan? Question for city council management is how to balance concerns of retailers against other issuesMon Jul 15 2024 - 16:44
Keir Starmer’s Labour may be about to show Ireland how it’s doneThe risk is that by the time there is a wider acceptance of the need to move more quickly on vital infrastructure projects, it will be too lateSun Jul 14 2024 - 07:10
Aer Lingus pilots have secured pay rises to cover cost-of-living increases. What about other workers?There’s a huge spread of earnings growth across different sectors – so some have been protected from inflation while others have done worse than the averageSat Jul 13 2024 - 06:00
Domestic economy ploughs on despite noisy dataExtraordinary national accounts underline challenge CSO faces measuring health of the economyFri Jul 12 2024 - 15:38
Budget 2025: How will the €8.3bn budget affect your pocket?The Government appears to have a lot of cash to spend - but when you look at the details, big decisions lie ahead on how to help householdsWed Jul 10 2024 - 16:09
From now on, don’t believe anything that anyone says about the budget Everyone is spinning a yarn ahead of October 1st — as Roy Keane might say, ‘they are only doing their jobs’Sun Jul 07 2024 - 07:15
The two big reasons why it is so hard to say how many homes we needThere are numerous estimates of how many homes Ireland has to build. But which one is right?Thu Jul 04 2024 - 11:31
Trump 2.0 is a step closer after Biden’s bumbling - and that would bring dire consequences for IrelandAnother Trump presidency is not good news for the classic middle men of a globalised world economySat Jun 29 2024 - 07:00
Women filling majority of new jobs in Irish economy - and trend is only going one wayFemale labour force participation has risen steadily from below 50% at the turn of the century to over 60% now, but remains low by international standardsThu Jun 27 2024 - 12:16
Cliff Taylor: Big budget uncertainty if Michael McGrath heads to BrusselsMichael McGrath’s much-rumoured move to Brussels would leave Paschal Donohoe to face a solo battle over spending demands in the run in to a general electionSat Jun 22 2024 - 07:00
Bank of Ireland lines up senior executive Gavin Kelly as Davy CEOBernard Byrne, who took charge of the business in 2021 and oversaw its sale to Bank of Ireland, announced his intention to leave the firm last yearFri Jun 21 2024 - 06:00
Irish employees now have upper hand in the debate over working from homeThere are interesting trends as employees seek to use new legislation and official guidelines to their advantage as remote working beds in across the office workforceThu Jun 20 2024 - 10:52
There is one thing that will make Irish banks move on rates, and it’s not Simon HarrisIreland’s politicians could not resist a bit of bank-bashing in an election weekSun Jun 09 2024 - 07:10
Interest rates will remain high, even as the ECB starts cuttingBorrowers should not expect to see ultra low rates any time soon, regardless of today’s rate cutThu Jun 06 2024 - 12:28
The three big questions over Intel selling 49% of its new Leixlip plantThe Fab 34 facility opened in September and investment is ongoingWed Jun 05 2024 - 11:55
Ireland’s model for attracting ‘big tech’ investment is looking frayedThe State risks losing out as a bidding war breaks out for major projects between the big countries, including huge subsidies for US companies to encourage them to invest at homeSun Jun 02 2024 - 07:10
Ireland’s high earners have doubled in number since pre-pandemic - they are now vital for income tax As with corporation tax, income tax comes from a relatively small base and many of the better-off work for big corporations, demonstrating vulnerability in the systemThu May 30 2024 - 11:13
The Government says that two thirds of the recommendations of the Housing Commission are already in train - this is delusional The Department of Housing’s reply to the landmark report was to say that most of what it called for is already being done, If so, why is the commission calling for a ‘radical reset’?Sun May 26 2024 - 07:02
Pay close attention to what Intel does next. It’s a test case for IrelandIntel is selling a stake in its Irish plant - how much of the money is invested here will be an indication of whether Ireland’s appeal is waningSun May 19 2024 - 07:30
Ireland income tax: What would Sinn Féin’s policies mean for you?An aspect of the party’s proposals that has received little attention would prove significant for those earning over €100,000Thu May 16 2024 - 10:59
Irish universities are running on fumes. Who can blame them for tapping tourists for cash?Lack of funding forces colleges to charge heavily for accommodation, get in high-paying students from outside the EU and try to milk cash from features like the Book of KellsSun May 12 2024 - 07:00
Ireland is spending big on housing. So why is the sector still in crisis?The State is putting an awful lot of cash in, but are taxpayers seeing a worthwhile return?Thu May 09 2024 - 11:18
Ireland’s housing budget: How the State is now spending more than €8bn to address the crisis State spending on a range of housing initiatives has risen significantly in recent years as the pressure is on to increase housing supplyMon May 06 2024 - 06:00
Sinn Féin says abolishing the Help-to-Buy scheme will be good for first time buyers – is it right?Three new developments in housing emerged this week - and not one of them is good news for anyone trying to buy a homeSun May 05 2024 - 07:15
The outlook for interest rate cuts is changing - so should Irish borrowers be worried?On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve signalled US interest rates were staying higher for longer, and the mood in Europe has shifted too, with implications for Irish mortgage holdersThu May 02 2024 - 11:08
The economic war between the US and China will cause problems for IrelandA country which has prospered for many years from being all things to all people is facing some new and difficult questions, particularly if Donald Trump is the next US presidentSun Apr 28 2024 - 07:15
Scope for budget tax cuts and cash for households is limited - this will be a difficult pre-election package to agree on The commitment to put €6bn a year into long-term savings funds will knock a serious hole in headline general Government surplusThu Apr 25 2024 - 11:00
The budget is still six months away - but the Coalition is showing signs of losing the plotThe cocktail called the “budget bonanza” features some reasonable pre-budget suggestions sloshing around with some very poor onesSat Apr 20 2024 - 07:15
Buyers of older homes may pay thousands more per year in mortgage repaymentsHow green is your mortgage? The incentives to buy an A or B rated home are rising, but many cannot get hold of new builds and are left paying more expensive ratesFri Apr 19 2024 - 05:00
Interest rates may be coming down. That’s not entirely good news in a frothy property marketFalling interest rates will, of course, help prospective buyers too. But they are buying into a market that’s only getting hotterSat Apr 13 2024 - 07:10
Cliff Taylor: €6bn has been removed from the budget day pot. Politically this could get interestingState funds intend to save some of the massive inflow of corporation taxThu Apr 11 2024 - 11:03
Battle lines are being drawn in the escalating row over the cost of Irish reunificationIrish unity report highlights how analysis of the costs and potential pay-offs is now requiredSat Apr 06 2024 - 07:05
Bridging loans: would the return of this kind of finance help those who want to downsize to a smaller home?As well as an emotional attachment to the family home, there are financial barriers for “empty nesters” who want to move to less spacious accommodationThu Apr 04 2024 - 12:44
Simon Harris sizzles on social media but voters need substanceThe new Taoiseach can bring fresh energy, but has he new ideas that can improve the lives of the younger voters the party is desperate to attract ?Sun Mar 24 2024 - 07:15
Want to work from home? Here are the rules governing your employer’s reactionHybrid is the future - US research found average workers come in 2.6 days a week, while it is unlikely everyone will ever return for the full fiveThu Mar 21 2024 - 13:39
Trump’s first presidency was good for Ireland. We mightn’t be so lucky second time roundIf Trump returns, the risk will be of a more extreme presidency, featuring aggressive policies on trade and investment with unpredictable consequences for the Irish economySun Mar 17 2024 - 08:04
Bonus cut for tracker mortgage holders due this autumn from ECB revampBank looks likely to cut rates three or four times this yearThu Mar 14 2024 - 13:07
Ireland’s pot of gold: you don’t own the half of itTop 10% richest households own 48% of the net wealth in the StateThu Mar 14 2024 - 11:25
Ireland risks losing its appeal to big multinationalsThe lights are not flashing red — but they are now on orangeSun Mar 10 2024 - 07:15
It doesn’t look wise to lock in your mortgage at 4.75% or moreInterest rates are not coming down immediately, but they will fall later this year, posing a dilemma for those taking out mortgagesThu Mar 07 2024 - 11:43
Why it’s so difficult to find a second-hand house to buy in IrelandMany homeowners want to move, but the most severe lack of supply seen in many years is making it impossible for most of them to find a propertySun Mar 03 2024 - 07:10
Welcome to the ‘great unretirement’ – why are more and more over-60s returning to work?How much of this is driven by financial necessity or other factors?Thu Feb 29 2024 - 11:40
RTÉ and the FAI are trapped in an Irish version of the nine circles of hell When the board is having emergency meetings seven months into a controversy, you know things are not goodSun Feb 25 2024 - 07:15
Fact-checking housing promises: can the State deliver 50,000 new homes a year - and if so, how?Opposition parties are promising rapid progress, but the housing market is a long gameSun Feb 25 2024 - 07:00
