Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Ireland is considered a tax haven internationally. Ireland is considered to be in the top ten tax havens internationally at the moment. That has happened because the Government has depended too much on corporation taxes and breaks in corporation taxes to attract foreign direct investment. We should be spending more time investing in infrastructure, including transport, ICT and educational infrastructure. We should be spending more time trying to keep the inputs and costs to business low. These are the ingredients that most foreign direct investors want in terms of making their businesses successful. They would make their experience here stickier and less mobile, less likely to flee the country if the situation changes.

Right now, pharmaceutical companies are actually working out what they should do if there is a tariff change. Right now, pharmaceutical companies are working out how they can transfer manufacturing and their taxation system outside of Ireland. My major worry is that this Government has little influence over the EU's decision-making situation. A couple of weeks ago we had a situation where, in response to the US, the EU came up with a retaliatory tariff against the US which included bourbon. It literally put Irish drinks in the target by making that decision. I would like the Minister to address this if he could. What, if any, influence do we have over Ursula von der Leyen in regard to the decisions made over what products are part of the retaliatory tariff policy of the EU? I have seen no evidence that we have any influence in relation to that. These decisions in Europe will be made on the basis of Germany, France and Italy, of the big economies defending the big industries that they preside over. The worry is that we are a small country between two elephants and the grass is going to get trampled and we are going to suffer in relation to that. In terms of the US, obviously I welcome the visit to the US but the Irish Government has been too slow in terms of building relationships with the US Administration and the Republican Party in terms of trying to influence them with regard to the tariffs that are coming our direction. We have a significant vote and significant leverage in terms of Irish America to put pressure on them to protect our interests there.

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