Stamp duty on shares, CCPC’s request to tap phones, and ECI gets €25m for expansion

The Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe will consider slashing the 1 per cent stamp duty on share trading in Irish companies in the budget. It currently generates almost €400 million a year for exchequer and officials in his department are preparing a report on the implications of reducing the levy. Joe Brennan has the details

Dublin-based ECI Lighting is entering the "lighting as a service" (LAAS) market after securing €25 million in additional funding. It plans to add 20 new jobs and to challenge two established operators for market share. Peter Hamilton reports

The Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan will consider a request from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to be allowed tap phones in an effort to combat white-collar crime. CCPC chairwoman Isolde Goggin last week said all State agencies investigating white-collar crime should have powers to mount electronic surveillance and intercept communications. Peter Hamilton has the details

In his weekly column, Chris Johns says austerity and short-termism by businesses and Governments alike is jeopardising our futures.