Lucinda Creighton: There was nothing to tax us in the IMF report

Contrary to populist moves by recent governments to narrow the tax base, the IMF has recommended a commonsense approach

'When the financial crash hit Ireland after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, the country was fiscally exposed'. Picture: AFP via Getty Images

It often takes external experts to point out the blindingly obvious before policymakers in Ireland can mobilise themselves to implement reform.

We learned during the last economic collapse that external organisations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Commission were needed not only to salvage the wreckage of a failed economy, but also to propose and encourage policy change.

Only a fraction of their recommendations were implemented, but at least some good came ...