John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Why would multinational companies choose anywhere other than Ireland when one such company which made €16 billion in 2011 paid only €50 million in tax, which amounts to a tax rate of 0.5%? In 2014, the same company paid tax of 0.005% on all of its profits. One sector which pays correct taxes year on year is the small and medium enterprise sector, SMEs. Could SMEs suit themselves and pay, for example, 1% tax in one year, 0.5% in another year and perhaps 0.005% the following year? Absolutely not. Are such practices acceptable only in respect of the likes of Apple? We are aware of the Apple case but other cases involving multinational companies may still come to light. While these companies have sweetheart deals, small businesses are left to struggle and in many cases were forced to close because of increased costs and taxes.

There are 237,753 small and medium enterprises active in Ireland, with figures from the Central Statistics Office showing that some 919,985 people are employed by these businesses. In 2011, at the height of the recession, five companies closed down every day. Imagine how the owners of small and medium enterprises must feel. They struggle to pay their taxes and do so because they have no choice as paying a tax rate of 0.005% is simply not an option for them.

Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Labour Party and a number of Independents are busy standing up to Europe against a decision requiring the second wealthiest corporation in the world to pay unpaid taxes. What are they doing for ordinary men and women who own small businesses, specifically those which managed to remain open without any help throughout the period when the Government was pursuing its austerity agenda? The revelation regarding Apple must stick in the throats of the owners of small business who are struggling to pay taxes and charges but still do so down to the last cent. We are told Ireland simply does not want the €13 billion Apple owes Irish people in unpaid taxes. This is a great country in which to do business if one is a multinational company.

In 1989, Leona Helmsley received 16 years in prison for a wide variety of tax offences which resulted in several million dollars being owed. In this case, the sums involved are billions rather than millions. We need a tax regime that is transparent and fair for all.

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