Category: Syndicated

THE Government’s new Finance Bill has confirmed a €50,000 increase in maximum value of share options that can be granted under its Key Employee Engagement Programme (KEEP), to €300,000 in any period. It had previously been subject to a limit applied in a consecutive three-year period. The scheme, introduced a year ago, was intended to […]

An expected 3.3pc annual growth rate at Dublin Port established just six months ago by the facility to determine its infrastructure requirements for the next two decades is already being exceeded. The chief executive of Dublin Port Company, Eamonn O’Reilly, said the current pace of growth means the semi-state firm now needs to speed up […]

More than half of companies led by women have no external funding at all, compared with 30pc of male-led businesses – and three times as many female business leaders regard access to capital as their biggest challenge. The results are from EY’s Global Growth Barometer, based on a survey of 2,766 senior business leaders. In […]

Wind farm prices may have peaked, one of Ireland’s most experienced corporate financiers has warned, despite strong overseas demand for a range of Irish assets. IBI chief executive Tom Godfrey said wind farm assets were probably “as expensive as they’re going to be” now that the low interest rate environment had begun to change. Rising […]

Budget 2019 didn’t put much money back into our pockets. Much of the focus of Finance Minister Pascal Donohue last Tuesday was on housing and health – with little left in the pot for anyone else. Many of us will only be better off to the tune of about €5 or €6 a week next […]

Irish food-to-go supplier Greencore has reached an agreement to sell its entire US business to Hearthside Food Solutions for £817m (€927m). Greencore said it will hand a large part of the proceeds to shareholders via a special dividend of £509m, or 72 pence per ordinary share. The group said that the deal will also “support […]

THE Central Bank has laid out a rosy economic forecast, with continued growth and tens of thousands more people in work over the next three years. However, it warned that a hard Brexit would damage the country – and even a soft Brexit would slow growth substantially for an economy that is more exposed to […]

THE Iseq index of Irish shares slumped to its lowest level since November 2016, mirroring moves in European shares as investors moved to shed risk. The market was gripped by turbulence for a second consecutive day, with sharp falls at heavily weighted stocks almost pushing the index through the 6,000 level. Cement giant CRH – […]

THE self-employed have emerged as major gainers from the measures announced. Those who work for themselves will be able to earn more before paying tax, will get a new entitlement to Jobseeker’s Benefit if they lose their jobs, and have escaped any increase in social insurance contributions. The changes are set to benefit some 150,000 […]

Multinational companies (MNCs) moving assets offshore to another tax jurisdiction now face an exit tax of 12.5pc as a result of Budget 2019. The new measure, which took effect from midnight last night, will tax unrealised capital gains where companies migrate residence or transfer assets offshore. The “big surprise” from the Budget follows sweeping changes […]