Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 15 July 2014
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform
Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion
3:20 pm
Mr. Ian Talbot:
I agree. It is about not being complacent. Every year in our budget submission we speak about the 12.5% corporation tax rate. Even though we do not believe it is under threat from anybody, we still say we cannot be complacent about this and that it is a vital component of Ireland's strategy. We reiterate that it must be in place. We felt that way this year about the 9% VAT rate. It has been very successful and that is recognised. It is not particularly on the agenda to remove it, but we still believed it had to be reiterated to remind people that it was a good thing and that we achieved a great deal from it. We do not have The Gathering this year. The tourism trade got a great boost from The Gathering last year. There are still many initiatives taking place but it is about continuity and to let people know it will remain in place would be a good message for confidence.