Author: Practicenet

Euro zone economy remains weak but green shoots emerging

Euro zone business activity remained lacklustre at the start of the year, a survey showed today but there were some glimmers of hope for policymakers.  The survey comes a day after the European Central Bank said the manufacturing sector remained a drag on the euro zone economy.  ECB rate-setters did not make any policy change […]

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Costs and competitiveness a key focus for tourism industry

The tourism industry needs to focus on costs and competitiveness as the sector faces into choppier waters in the years ahead, according to the head of the national tourism development authority, Fáilte Ireland. Paul Kelly said the industry had to avoid complacency against a backdrop of a softening in demand. “We absolutely need to keep our […]

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ECB launches review, keeps policy on hold

The European Central Bank launched a broad review of its policy today that is likely to see new President Christine Lagarde redefine the ECB’s main goal and how to achieve it.  The European Central Bank has fallen short of its inflation target of just under 2% for years, even after Lagarde’s predecessor, Mario Draghi, launched […]

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France reaches deal with US on digital tax talks

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said France had reached an agreement with the US on the basis for future talks over a global digital tax, at the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) level. “We had long talks this morning with the US Treasury Secretary and the OECD Secretary General,” Mr Le Marie said at the World Economic […]

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Costs and competitiveness a key focus for tourism industry

The tourism industry needs to focus on costs and competitiveness as the sector faces into choppier waters in the years ahead. That’s according to the head of the national tourism development authority, Fáilte Ireland. Paul Kelly said the industry had to avoid complacency against a backdrop of a softening in demand. “We absolutely need to […]

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Irish tax system best in EU at reducing inequality – ESRI

Research by the Economic and Social Research Institute has found that the Irish tax system does more than any other system in the EU to redistribute income and reduce inequality. It also found that raising the point at which taxpayers pay the higher rate of tax, or abolishing the Universal Social Charge, would both favour those […]

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ECB to launch review that will redefine its mission and tools

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is set to launch a broad review of the bank’s policy today that is likely to see her redefine the ECB’s main goal and how to achieve it.  The ECB has fallen short of its inflation target of just under 2% for years despite increasingly aggressive stimulus measures under […]

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Digital tax should be dealt with multilaterally – IDA chief

The chief executive of IDA Ireland has said it is hard to see how a digital tax makes sense. Speaking to RTE News in Davos at the World Economic Forum annual meeting, Martin Shanahan said Ireland believes the issue should be dealt with on a multilateral basis through the OECD. His comments came just hours […]

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Home building levels reach 10 year high – Goodbody

21,500 new homes were completed last year, according to new analysis from stockbrokers Goodbody, up 19% on the figure for 2018. The increase marked the highest rate of growth in a decade and is nearly five times greater than the 2013 trough of 4,575. However it still sits below the 34,000 units that the Central […]

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Ireland has fifth largest number of billionaires per capita – Oxfam

A new study has found that Ireland has the fifth largest number of billionaires relative to its population of any country in the world. The report, produced by Oxfam ahead of the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos, claims that with 17 billionaires, most of whom are men, Ireland is mirroring the global trend […]

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