Archive for May 2021

The chief economist of the European Central Bank Philip Lane has said he does not believe economies are “entering some new inflationary environment”. He said there is “zero connection between spikes in prices in the reopening of the world economy and inflation trends.” Professor Philip Lane was speaking at an online event hosted by the…

New research has found that a person with a disability is four and-a-half times more likely to be unemployed than those in the general population. The study also shows that a black person is six times more likely to be without a job. This rises to 13 times amongst Travellers. The research, which aims to…

Demand is high and supply remains low. That’s the stark reality of the country’s housing market. The Government hopes its proposal to introduce a stamp duty charge of 10% on the purchase of ten or more houses will free up some of that limited supply. But the big question is will it work? Joanne Hogan…

New personal injury guidelines for the insurance industry will “positively” impact premiums, according to the CEO of Zurich Ireland. Anthony Brennan said in the coming weeks, the company will implement changes to customers premiums to reflect the impact of the reforms. Mr Brennan was addressing the Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, which today…

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has defended the decision to exempt apartments from the Government’s proposal to introduce a stamp duty charge of 10% on the purchase of ten or more houses. He said the reason it is a house-focused measure is because he is “genuinely convinced” that if apartments were brought into the scheme,…

A new survey shows that 43% of organisations overall reported that absenteeism fell during 2020. This figure was even higher in the public sector at 59%, according to the CIPD Ireland annual HR Practices in Ireland survey, carried out with the Kemmy Business School at University of Limerick. The survey also revealed that while 89%…

The European Commission has proposed new corporation tax rules in Europe that could allow companies to file one tax return for all its operations in the EU. The EU’s “Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation” (BEFIT) will be a single rulebook for companies trading in Europe. It will replace an earlier Commission proposal called…

Over 95% of workers now favour some form of remote working, with fewer than 5% wanting a full-time return to the office, according to the Second Annual National Remote Working Survey. The survey of over 6,400 respondents from both the public and private sectors by NUI Galway and the Western Development Commission reflects a further…

The ministers for Housing and Finance are expected to bring proposals to the Cabinet this morning to prevent the bulk purchase of housing estates by investment funds. Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien is to brief ministers on proposals to issue a circular to local authorities banning them from granting planning for developments of houses and…

THERE has been a sharp drop in the number of claims made on health insurance plans due to the pandemic restrictions. The Covid-19 outbreak has also seen the number of people with private health cover rise to 2.3 million, which represents 46pc of the population. An additional 38,000 people took out a health insurance plan…