MEPs attack Irish corporate tax rate

DerKaiser said:

Cheek of them to think they could get away without having to pay through the nose for social welfare and any inefficiencies in public spending.

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Yes indeed -that's all that tax is spent on, and I'm sure you will never, ever in your lifetime benefit from any social welfare payment - right?

DerKaiser said:

In reality, who is really being taken for a ride?

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The collective citizens of the EU. When Google is let away with paying just 2.4% tax on its profits (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/nov/22/no-bailout-for-ireland), we're all getting taken for a ride.

Complainer said:

Yes indeed -that's all that tax is spent on, and I'm sure you will never, ever in your lifetime benefit from any social welfare payment - right?

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I'm sure I might, so I don't get too upset about paying tax out of income for that.

Living in the real world, however, we are a sovereign nation (for now) that can set its own tax rates. We have nothing to apologise to Europe for in that regard.

As Purple has already pointed out, should Eastern Europe or Asia not benefit from their lower costs.

If you can run a country in an efficient way that encourages employment, enterprise and growth at the expense of bloated inefficient economies that's not being a 'bad neighbour'

We should remind them that if we decide to leave the EU, then we will take our fishing territory with us i.e. half the north atlantic. If Spain & Portugal are in trouble now, they'll be in even worse trouble with no fishing rights.

We should start insisting that Trichet resigns - he's the one who said Irish banks were ok and stress tested etc. We should insist on accountability.

csirl said:

We should start insisting that Trichet resigns - he's the one who said Irish banks were ok and stress tested etc. We should insist on accountability.

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I'm not sure that Cowen/Lenihen would have much credibility to go insisting that those who caused the bust should resign.