Legal

Attorney General hits back at Ireland’s ‘leprechaun economics’ tag, defends government policy

Rossa Fanning SC said the growth of the multinational sector here had ‘tangibly improved living standards’ in Ireland

Rossa Fanning: ‘Dublin is a city that, like Ireland as a whole, has been transformed by globalisation.’ Picture: Rollingnews.ie

The attorney general has hit back against claims that Ireland has relied on “leprechaun economics”, a derisory term used to describe the low-tax regime for multinationals here, and defended the country’s monetary policy.

Rossa Fanning SC said Ireland’s ability to win overseas investment had “tangibly improved living standards” in Dublin and around the country, and said its “modern success” was largely down to having some of the “biggest and most successful companies in the world” ...