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Donohoe defends 10% stamp duty proposal on bulk buying

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has defended the decision to exempt apartments from the Government’s proposal to introduce a stamp duty charge of 10% on the purchase of ten or more houses. He said the reason it is a house-focused measure is because he is “genuinely convinced” that if apartments were brought into the scheme, […]

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Post-Covid ‘balancing act’ the next challenge for business

A new survey shows that 43% of organisations overall reported that absenteeism fell during 2020. This figure was even higher in the public sector at 59%, according to the CIPD Ireland annual HR Practices in Ireland survey, carried out with the Kemmy Business School at University of Limerick. The survey also revealed that while 89% […]

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EU proposes ‘business-friendly’ unified tax rulebook for companies

The European Commission has proposed new corporation tax rules in Europe that could allow companies to file one tax return for all its operations in the EU. The EU’s “Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation” (BEFIT) will be a single rulebook for companies trading in Europe. It will replace an earlier Commission proposal called […]

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Over 95% of workers support some form of remote working – survey

Over 95% of workers now favour some form of remote working, with fewer than 5% wanting a full-time return to the office, according to the Second Annual National Remote Working Survey. The survey of over 6,400 respondents from both the public and private sectors by NUI Galway and the Western Development Commission reflects a further […]

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Cabinet to discuss proposals to prevent bulk buying of homes

The ministers for Housing and Finance are expected to bring proposals to the Cabinet this morning to prevent the bulk purchase of housing estates by investment funds. Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien is to brief ministers on proposals to issue a circular to local authorities banning them from granting planning for developments of houses and […]

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Claims on health insurance plans fall by almost a third

THERE has been a sharp drop in the number of claims made on health insurance plans due to the pandemic restrictions. The Covid-19 outbreak has also seen the number of people with private health cover rise to 2.3 million, which represents 46pc of the population. An additional 38,000 people took out a health insurance plan […]

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Progress made on internal bank culture but public trust levels remain low

There is ‘a very substantial number of customers’ who believe that banks handle their data securely, according to the chair of the Irish Banking Culture Board. The board launched the findings of two independent surveys of culture and trust levels in banks and the banking sector in Ireland. The survey of bank staff shows progress […]

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Majority of businesses stable or in growth mode – IntertradeIreland

Nearly two thirds of businesses surveyed by InterTrade Ireland said they are in stable or growth mode, in a further sign that recovery is taking hold. Optimism levels were higher in the Republic of Ireland than in Northern Ireland with 65% of businesses here describing themselves as stable or in growth, compared to 56% of […]

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Most businesses plan return of employees to workplaces within three months – Ibec

More than three quarters of businesses are planning to return employees to their workplaces within the next three months if Government guidelines allow, a new survey by the employer’s group Ibec has found. However, four out of every five respondent companies said they will operate a hybrid model of remote and onsite work to a […]

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NTMA raises €1.5bn as bond yields creep up again

The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) successfully raised €1.5bn in an auction of benchmark Irish government bonds this morning. The three bonds, maturing in 2031, 2033 and 2050, were all sold with a positive yield, meaning the State will be paying it back with interest. The NTMA has now raised €12bn of its target of between […]

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