Morning Headlines

Mica homeowners in new property tax row; DPC puts Twitter under the microscope

The stories you need to read this morning in business, politics and current affairs

Dee Coakley, co-founder and chief executive of Boundless and Patricia Scanlon, founder and chair of SoapBox Labs: Boundless has experienced significant growth as working patterns continue to change, while Scanlon recently won the Stem award at the Irish Tatler Women of the Year awards. Picture: Fergal Phillips

Mica homeowners have exemptions to property tax ‘removed’

Revenue has told some mica-impacted homeowners their exemption to local property tax – promised by Paschal Donohoe last year – has been removed because they haven’t yet been confirmed as eligible for the state’s redress scheme.

It comes as hundreds of people around the country wait for the authority to process their applications, following a controversial year-long backlog caused by a disagreement over a technical issue between Donegal County Council and the Department of Housing.

Data Protection Commission seeks clarity from Twitter over Brussels office closure

The Data Protection Commission has reached out to Twitter following reports that the social media giant disbanded its office in Brussels, sparking concerns from EU officials at a time when the company faces increasing scrutiny from lawmakers.

Reports of the closure of the Brussels office – a key location for Twitter to engage with European regulation – has prompted Ireland’s Data Protection Commission to contact the company. “We have reached out to Twitter in relation to media coverage this morning and we are awaiting their response,” a spokesman for the DPC told the Business Post.

The top women in tech: The leaders you need to know

While tech bros are going about trying to destroy society, there are plenty of women who are, thankfully, doing the opposite. Charlie Taylor and Emmet Ryan present a round up the top women in Irish tech.

Analysis: Gender pay gap reporting won’t show employer bias – but it will be useful

In an op-ed for the Business Post, Kara McGann, head of social policy at Ibec, writes that while the new gender pay reporting rules are no silver bullet, they could help prompt change at Irish companies.

“The more evidence-based changes the organisations can make, driven by the interrogation of the data, the more meaningful and successful the actions are likely to be,” she writes.