With the Irish government rolling in clover like never before, what is the outsider’s view of our economy? Max Colchester, Britain Correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, has been writing about this following his recent visit to Dublin. He notes how other governments around Europe are struggling and raising taxes while we have set up two sovereign wealth funds to make good use of the billions in corporate tax receipts that continue to roll in – something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by...

Donald Trump’s stance on imports coming into the US could have very real implications for Irish transatlantic trade. September proved to be a record month for Irish exports, as well as a record level of exports going to the US. This underlines the importance of a market that could be jeopardised if the president-elect follows through on his promise to introduce blanket tariffs on goods entering the US. Carol Lynch is customs and trade partner with BDO Ireland and she joined host Cliff Taylor...

Research from online broker Doddl.ie has estimated that savings of about €7,400 a year could be achieved by switching your mortgage rate. Martina Hennessey is chief executive of Doddl.ie and she joined host Ciarán Hancock to go through the maths on this. She also explained how the most attractive rates available apply to those with the most energy efficient homes. In the past week, the US stock market has surged following Donald’s Trump’s election victory. Donnacha Fox is chief investment...

After a remarkable political comeback, Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States. So, what will that mean for the Irish economy, given that he has threatened huge tariffs on imports and promised to slash its corporate tax rate. Host Ciarán Hancock is joined by Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times to get his view on how bad a Trump presidency could be for Ireland. Also on the show, Conor Pope of The Irish Times explains why being single can cost you more than €300,000 over and...

This week’s episode looks at the housing crisis from a slightly quirky angle. Imagine if Michael O’Leary decided to set up a development company to build housing and applied some of the lessons from Ryanair’s experience in disrupting the air travel business over the past three decades. It’s a point that Irish Times economics correspondent Eoin Burke Kennedy posited in a column earlier this week. Could a no-frills approach reduce construction costs that could in turn be passed on to home...

In his recent piece for the Irish Times, Harry Goddard, CEO of Big Four firm Deloitte, argues that Ireland needs to build more data centres. He says this could generate the demand for a sufficient number of renewable energy projects to be built to help those facilities operate on a carbon neutral basis. He joins Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock to explain why more data centres need to be built here, despite the large amount of electricity and water necessary to run them and the relatively...

These are some very challenging times for retail and hospitality here, with news this week that men’s fashion retailer Alias Tom was placed into liquidation while high profile Dublin restaurant Shanahan’s on St Stephen’s Green closed, and Dillinger’s in Ranelagh will close in November after 16 years in operation. On Tuesday, hundreds of hospitality, tourism, retail, and other small business owners protested in Dublin outside Leinster House about the increasing costs of doing business here,...

According to PwC’s quarterly insolvency barometer, the retail sector now accounts for one in four of all insolvencies so far this year. Hospitality is also being adversely affected with smaller operators more likely to fail. Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock is joined by Ken Tyrrell, business recovery partner at PwC Ireland, to go through their research and get a handle on how many more insolvencies are potentially in the pipeline as we head towards 2025. Also on this week’s episode, Irish...

Host Ciarán Hancock is joined by guests to pore over the main points of Budget 2025. The €10.5 billion package has a range of measures, including the threshold for higher income tax rate rising to €44,000, the minimum wage gets an 80 cent bump to €13.50 an hour, the USC rate will be cut to three per cent, income credits will increase by €125, and a €12 weekly increase to welfare and pension payments. On the panel: Michael Rooney, EY Ireland Tax Partner Elaine Dunne, chairperson of the...

On this week’s episode of Inside Business, host Ciarán Hancock speaks with Bank of Ireland chief economist Conall MacCoille about their latest economic bulletin. It shows that almost 40 per cent of Irish housing transactions are now settled at a minimum 10 per cent premium above the original asking price, something Bank of Ireland puts down to “the intense competition for homes”. Conall Mac Coille is author of the bulletin, and while he points to lack of supply and wage growth as factors...

On this week’s episode of Inside Business, host Ciarán Hancock speaks with Bank of Ireland chief economist Conall MacCoille about their latest economic bulletin. It shows that almost 40 per cent of Irish housing transactions are now settled at a minimum 10 per cent premium above the original asking price, something  Bank of Ireland puts down to “the intense competition for homes”. Conall Mac Coille is author of the bulletin, and while he points to lack of supply and wage growth as factors...

In his piece for the Irish Times earlier this week, CEO of Ibec Danny McCoy wrote about the ‘generational opportunity’ the next government will have to transform the country. Speaking with host Ciarán Hancock on this week’s episode of Inside Business, he explained how the key areas of infrastructure, education and energy strategy are central to maintaining a competitive economy here. And in terms of the funding needed to address those three areas, McCoy warned against a long-term reliance on...

On this week’s episode of Inside Business we’re looking at the Apple tax judgement from the European Court of Justice with Joe Brennan. It was decided on Tuesday that the tech giant had enjoyed illegal State aid and the ECJ determined that Ireland should collect some €13 billion in back tax. Joe Brennan has covered this saga over the past decade and joined host Ciarán Hancock on the line to discuss the story. What is the background to the case? How is the money likely to be spent? Will this...

Reports last week highlighted the challenges in the commercial property market, particularly in the offices sector, with some prized assets receiving offers well below the sale prices attached by agents, with banks moving on some borrowers who find they are in breach of their covenants. John McCartney is head of research at BNP Paribas Real Estate and follows the market closely. He joined host Ciarán Hancock in studio to discuss the latest moves in the commercial property market. He began by...

Inheritance tax has become something of a hot political issue, with hints of change coming in the budget supported by senior Fine Gael members who want to allow people to inherit more without being exposed to tax. But is this justified? Does it simply improve the lot of the better off in society? Or are there real anomalies that need to be addressed? For some insight on this, host Cliff Taylor was joined by Deputy Business Editor of the Irish Times, Dominic Coyle. In the second half of the...

If you’re trying to buy a home, a report this week from estate agent Sherry FitzGerald on house prices and available stock won’t have lifted your mood. The supply of second-hand properties for sale in Ireland has fallen by almost a third since the pandemic, according to Sherry Fitz figures. And it found that annual house price inflation was running at 5.5 per cent for the 12 months to the end of June, up from 3.4 per cent at the same time last year. Figures from the CSO last week told a...

The high price of electric cars has long been seen as a barrier for those looking to switch from the traditional combustion-engine car to an EV, but that is now changing with many car makers slashing their prices. But what is driving prices down and what impact will it have on the second-hand EV market here? Irish Times writer specialising in motoring Neil Briscoe explains. And what of the broader picture for EV usage here, how do we compare to other countries and is charging infrastructure...

The Covid-19 pandemic that hit in March 2020 hammered the Irish hospitality and retail sectors. One company that was directly in the firing line was Moriarty’s a family run craft shop and restaurant in the Gap of Dunloe in Kerry that was largely dependent on American visitors for its business. The company survived this near-death experience by becoming one of the first SMEs in Ireland to use a new small company rescue process called Scarp, introduced by the Government at the end of...

On this episode of Inside Business we look at the €725 million funding plan the Government has agreed to provide to RTÉ over the next three years. Laura Slattery of The Irish Times sat down with RTÉ chief Kevin Bakhurst last week and not surprisingly he was “really pleased” with the settlement. Laura joined host Ciarán Hancock in studio to explain how the settlement provides RTÉ with financial stability over the next three years. Also on the podcast this week, Revolut recently announced its...

This week industrial peace broke out at Aer Lingus when pilots at the airline voted in favour of a pay proposal brokered by the Labour Court, ending weeks of industrial action that disrupted about 86,000 passengers of Aer Lingus. Ryanair also warned of weaker trading and profitability as passengers put a limit on how much they are prepared to pay for a flight. Barry O’Halloran of The Irish Times and Davy equity analyst Stephen Furlong joined host Ciarán Hancock in studio to discuss those and...

This week the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, which represents the broad hospitality sector, made its pre-budget submission to Government. Among the asks, were a return to the 9 per cent VAT rate, more cash from the State to promote the industry and a lifting of the 32m passenger cap at Dublin Airport, the country’s main gateway for visitors. So, how is the hospitality sector in Ireland doing given it is peak tourism season and Covid is a distant memory? Host Ciarán Hancock is joined...

On Tuesday, the Government published its Summer Economic Statement, which provides a framework for tax and spending in October’s budget. We discovered that the budget will be framed around a massive tax and spending package of €8.3 billion. Strip out Covid and cost of living years, and that would make it one of the most generous in the history of the State. In turn, this has fuelled speculation of an early general election in November. On this week’s episode of Inside Business, Eoin...

This week we are focusing on mortgages and housing supply. Host Ciarán Hancock is joined by an expert panel comprising Irish Times finance correspondent Joe Brennan, economics correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy and Home & Design Editor Fiona Reddan. Fiona Reddan profiles the typical Irish house buyer in the market. How old are they? Where are they buying? What kind of salary are they earning and how big a part does the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ play? Eoin Burke-Kennedy explains why there are...

On this week’s episode of Inside Business we start with Jack Chambers’ appointment as the new Minister for Finance following Michael McGrath’s nomination by the Government as Ireland’s next European Commissioner. So, who is Jack Chambers and why has he been given such a plum role in Cabinet? Irish Times Political Editor, Pat Leahy, charts the rise and rise of someone many are tipping as Micheál Martin's heir apparent to lead Fianna Fáil.  Also on the podcast: aggression against workers in the...