CPL buyout, travel restrictions relaxed and Perrigo’s tax ruling

While all the eyes were turned to the hotly disputed results of the US presidential election, CPL's Anne Heraty made headlines of her own with news of a €318m all-cash buyout of the listed recruitment business she founded over 30 years ago. Joe Brennan has all the details.

And in more good news, airline passengers from some European Union states will not have to quarantine on arrival in the Republic from next week, once they have a test showing that they are Covid-19 negative, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan told an Oireachtas committee, writes Barry O'Halloran.

US pharma company Perrigo found itself on the wrong side of a comprehensive ruling in the High Court over a €1.64 billion tax assessment that it claimed the Revenue Commissioners had no right to issue. Mary Carolan was in court while Eoin Burke-Kennedy gets the reaction of the company as it now considers which of two paths of appeal it will pursue.

EU negotiator Michel Barnier gave a downbeat briefing to EU ambassadors on the lack of progress at the latest round of talks with British counterparts on a potential trade deal ahead of Brexit. The word from the European camp is that the British are interested only in a deal on their terms. Naomi O'Leary reports.

Barnier says no deal in sight with UK as last chance looms

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Small businesses under significant financial strain, says Central Bank’s Ed Sibley

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California moves cruelly on gig economy workers

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Accounting watchdog warns firms against ‘boilerplate’ Covid notes

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Naomi also reports on a meeting of the Eurogroup finance ministers which heard that EU proposals for a digital tax may be delayed to allow for more time to reach a worldwide agreement on the issue.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe announced that there has been a sharp jump in companies looking for support of up to €5,000 a week under the Government Covid Restrictions Support Scheme. The number has jumped to around 2,200 from 700 a few days ago, he told the Dáil during debate on the second stage of the Finance Bill.

In technology, Joanne Hunt has a practical guide for small business on how to go about setting up an online presence to protect their future as operations ar e disrupted by the latest Covid-19 lockdown.

And Karlin Lillington takes Californians to task over an election night referendum -written by gig economy employers that strips workers of their rights. When it comes to employment law, Big Tech shouldn't be given a free ride, she says, and the rest of us should stop feeling entitled to a cheap one.

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