It’s time to be clever on business taxes

The announcement earlier this month by Chancellor George Osborne that Britain plans to cut corporation tax to 18 per cent by 2020 presents a major challenge to policy makers here in Ireland. The latest reduction brings the British rate ever closer to our 12.5 per cent level. As recently as 2009, the rate applied in Britain was 30 per cent.

The headline rate is only one consideration in assessing a country’s corporation tax ...