# Ryanair wont accept laser card? and its an irish company



## NOAH (4 Aug 2006)

Just discovered today, that Ryanair wont accept an Irish Debit card when booking via its website. It costs more when one uses a visa. But if you are from UK one can use a UK debit card!!

Don't you just love it, an Irish company that will not accept an Irish debit card. SHAME but thats Ireland for you.

noah


----------



## Meccano (7 Aug 2006)

*Re: Ryanair wont accept laser card?? and its an irish company*

Ryanair tried to force Laser into some kinda crap commission deal, and when they failed to get it they took the hump - a common response from Ryanair to anyone who won't be bullied.

I guess SWITCH (the UK crowd) bent over for them.
Hope it hurts.


----------



## ClubMan (8 Aug 2006)

*Re: Ryanair wont accept laser card?? and its an irish company*

It's a company's duty to maximise returns for shareholders. If doing this requires that they forego certain services or alliances (as decided by the management) then that's their prerogative. Customers who don't like it can always take their business elsewhere.

As an aside ... is it accurate to describe _Ryanair _as an _"Irish" _company in this and age? According to Wikipedia they are quoted on _ISEQ_, _LSE _and _NASDAQ _and their largest operational base is _Stansted_. I suppose they were _Irish _founded and are still _HQ'd _in _Ireland _though.


----------



## bazermc (8 Aug 2006)

*Re: Ryanair wont accept laser card?? and its an irish company*



			
				ClubMan said:
			
		

> I suppose they were _Irish _founded and are still _HQ'd _in _Ireland _though.


 
Only because they can avail of the low 12.5% corporation tax rate it would be 30% if they were UK resident


----------



## nelly (8 Aug 2006)

however it is worth it to note that Mr Ryanair is living here and not jumpting ship to avoid paying tax like Bono and others have. 
O'Leary is in business to be in business not for the craic and it is great to see an Irish company do so well. So it does not take laser - how many other online stores "Irish Stores" don't take laser


----------



## TarfHead (8 Aug 2006)

nelly said:
			
		

> .. not jumpting ship to avoid paying tax like Bono and others have.


 
To be fair to Bono, he has not jumped ship, cos he has no tax to avoid, him being a struggling artist and all  .

Though I believe U2 have moved their music publishing business offshore to avoid tax, but I'm sure Bono agonised long and hard about that  .


----------



## ClubMan (8 Aug 2006)

TarfHead said:
			
		

> To be fair to Bono, he has not jumped ship, cos he has no tax to avoid.


I don't think that this is correct given that only certain income is tax free under the [broken link removed] (now subject to a cap). I'd imagine that _Bono _has other income that *is *assessable for tax.


----------



## Guest127 (8 Aug 2006)

Bono is like a lot of other rich ( very rich people) he wants western developed countries to drop the debt of poorer third world countires. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. but governments everywhere have to collect tax to enable them to balance budgets and make donations to various charities and other poorer countries. This tax comes from the citizens and employers etc in general. Bono ( and others ) obviously has the intention of paying as little or no tax at all, so in effect he is preaching that the ordinary citizens in western countries should help the poorer citizens in third world countries, while staying in an offside position himself. and to make matters worse, the media fall over themselves in admiration for his stance. as one poster above states M O'L at least pays his taxes and lives here, something you cannot say about the like of JP, or Ryder Cup man himself , to name just two, whom the media cant praise highly enough, while usually implying that Ryanair is a bum airline used by bums while they themselves ( media) no doubt avail of fully paid for business class seats on other airlines. Rant over.


----------



## ClubMan (8 Aug 2006)

cuchulainn said:
			
		

> Bono ( and others ) obviously has the intention of paying as little or no tax at all


 How do you know that he doesn't spend some of his savings on charitable donations? Maybe like some other people he reckons that he can manage such spending more efficiently/effectively himself rather than leaving it to some government? I can't stand the man (as defined by his public persona) myself but ultimately these matters are his (and his business partners') own business/prerogative.


----------



## Meccano (9 Aug 2006)

*Re: Ryanair wont accept laser card?? and its an irish company*



			
				ClubMan said:
			
		

> It's a company's duty to maximise returns for shareholders. If doing this requires that they forego certain services or alliances (as decided by the management) then that's their prerogative. *Customers who don't like it can always take their business elsewhere*.


Spoken like Micko himself! Hurrah! 
Except you forgot to include the *F* word.


----------



## ClubMan (9 Aug 2006)

Stands to reason really - if you don't like a company or its service then go elsewhere. Can't see why anybody would have problem with that unless they just wanted an excuse for a rip-off moan/rant. I haven't flown _Ryanair _since well before _MO'L's _time there (1987 to be precise if I recall correctly) so I have no recent direct experience of them. Thought it was interesting today to hear about their ongoing committment not to levy fuel surcharges no matter how high oil prices go unlike most other airlines these days.


----------



## legend99 (22 Aug 2006)

"Maybe like some other people he reckons that he can manage such spending more efficiently/effectively himself rather than leaving it to some government"

Being a rich citizen of a country doesn't give one to right to choose where your tax paid should be spent. Personally, I'd love to pay no tax and use the saving to build a kids playground 50 yards down the road to suit me and my kids. I don't see why in effect you could possibly argue that Bono or JP and his millions to Limerick GAA should be any different?


----------



## Guest127 (22 Aug 2006)

Legend99: That was  my point. Bono wants our Governemnt  ( and others)to spend money on  very worthwhile and commendable causes but uses every avenue open ( to the rich anyway) to avoid becoming such a taxpayer.  Personally if we were all given the choice of   paying no tax and making a donation ( to match our tax) to a worthy cause I have no doubt we all would have a favourite one, and then we could publicise our cause in a blaze of publicity too,  but thats not the point.  Point is in a fair society everybody should pay their fair share. And if some manage to avoid this by whatever means is open to them, then the least they can do is stop complaining out how money collected from others is spent. I have absolutely no doubt that our wealthier citizens  make very large donations to worthwhile causes, but this shouldn't mean that they are except from paying their fair share of tax. And I mean fair share, not punative.


----------



## ClubMan (22 Aug 2006)

legend99 said:


> Being a rich citizen of a country doesn't give one to right to choose where your tax paid should be spent.


Obviously it does to some extent given the legitimate tax planning that people like _Bono/U2 _engage in to move assets around and reduce their total tax bill. 


> I don't see why in effect you could possibly argue that Bono or JP and his millions to Limerick GAA should be any different?


 I wasn't arguing that. Please read my posts more carefully in future.


----------



## NOAH (22 Aug 2006)

thanks for all the replies, i feel a lot better now, i dont agree with a few of the surmises and the one that really bugs is this " go elsewhere" because in real life, as MOL might say its not that f****g simple.  Ryanair started out in Ireland and to turn round and s**** on the people who got it started is not on.  What we need is a bit more integrity and credibility. Ryanair charge more for using a cc than a laser etc etc.  With all the profits they make they could at least show a pinch of loyalty to those who dont have a cc they might even get more business.

As for Bono I think his credibility is totally and completey gone. I did hear him referred to a long time ago in what were not very complimentary terms and time proved that they were accurate.

One law for the rich and the rest of us can go shoo...

noah


----------



## legend99 (23 Aug 2006)

ClubMan said:


> Obviously it does to some extent given the legitimate tax planning that people like _Bono/U2 _engage in to move assets around and reduce their total tax bill.
> I wasn't arguing that. Please read my posts more carefully in future.



No disrespect. I read your post very carefully. You said - "Maybe like some other people he reckons that he can manage such spending more efficiently/effectively himself rather than leaving it to some government? I can't stand the man (as defined by his public persona) myself but ultimately these matters are his (and his business partners') own business/prerogative."

I read your statement as an endorsement of his (bono's) right to choose what his due tax should be spend on instead of having to pay tax like the rest of us. If I'm wrong feel free to clarify what you did mean to say.

And I agree with cuchulainn 100%.


----------



## CCOVICH (23 Aug 2006)

Does Bono accept Laser?


----------



## legend99 (23 Aug 2006)

CCOVICH said:


> Does Bono accept Laser?



Ah Bono. The man who was giving out about the inequlaity of the world at Slane while the official licensed vendors inside the venue were allowed to charge close to 8 euro for a burger and chips, 5 euro for a pint and they didn't allow you bring your own bottled plastic water in.....

Anyway, the original point of the post about the Ryanair issue with Laser cards is valid. Even though I wonder in ten years where the airline industry will be. Capacity in just about every airport is at bursting point, the sky is effectively full, especially in the South-East of the UK, oil prices I can never see dropping back to less than 60-70 dollars a barrell (haven't Ryanair hedged at 74 a barrell) and we have the current security issues as well.


----------



## mell61 (24 Aug 2006)

Maybe time to start buying share in ferry companies!


----------



## legend99 (24 Aug 2006)

I assume at some stage that terrorists would have the cop-on to start targeting all modes of transport...ferrys, trains, motorway routes etc?


----------



## ClubMan (24 Aug 2006)

legend99 said:


> I read your statement as an endorsement of his (bono's) right to choose what his due tax should be spend on instead of having to pay tax like the rest of us. If I'm wrong feel free to clarify what you did mean to say.


The whole _U2 _thing (moving certain portfolios/income to another _EU _country to reduce their tax burden) is legitimate tax planning. There's nothing illegal about it so obviously he has a "right" to avail of this.


----------



## ubiquitous (24 Aug 2006)

ClubMan said:


> (moving certain portfolios/income to another _EU _country to reduce their tax burden).



Don't forget that hundreds of thousands of Irish workers are employed by multinational companies whose presence here is solely or primarily for similar tax planning purposes.


----------



## Magoo (24 Aug 2006)

ClubMan said:


> The whole _U2 _thing (moving certain portfolios/income to another _EU _country to reduce their tax burden) is legitimate tax planning. There's nothing illegal about it so obviously he has a "right" to avail of this.


 
Nothing illegal but perhaps immoral.  

Would that we all had the luxury to play God when it comes to deciding when our debt to society had been discharged and imploring the same society to do more for the less fortunate in another one.  Sweet.


----------



## ubiquitous (24 Aug 2006)

Should we tell Dell, Intel, Microsoft etc etc etc to go back to the US as their presence here is "immoral"?


----------



## ClubMan (24 Aug 2006)

Magoo said:


> Nothing illegal but perhaps immoral.


A matter of opinion. But what counts in practice is matters of law. If you think it's objectionable then why not lobby your elected representatives to change the system as it stands?


> Would that we all had the luxury to play God when it comes to deciding when our debt to society had been discharged and imploring the same society to do more for the less fortunate in another one.  Sweet.


If that's what you aspire to then you might be interested in [broken link removed].


----------



## Sunny (24 Aug 2006)

I have no objection with Bono going down any legal avenue to save himself a few pence in tax (we would all do the same) as long as it stops him banging on about how stingy developed countries are with charity donations every two minutes.


----------



## CCOVICH (24 Aug 2006)

ClubMan said:


> If that's what you aspire to then you might be interested in [broken link removed].


 
Do they accept Laser?


----------



## ClubMan (24 Aug 2006)

They accept anything as long as it involves consenting adults and no harm to the person or property of any non consenting others!


----------



## Magoo (24 Aug 2006)

ClubMan said:


> If you think it's objectionable then why not lobby your elected representatives to change the system as it stands?


 
Gosh, there's an idea. Why didn't I think of that? 

I'll get on to it straight away and confidantly expect to see the tax system reformed by the end of next week.


----------

