Ibec warns on tax, Nama wins court case and coronavirus hits Wicklow business

Business Today: the best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

Ibec has concerns over the Government’s estimates on the impact of global tax reform Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Ibec has concerns over the Government’s estimates on the impact of global tax reform Photograph: Nick Bradshaw

The Government may be underestimating the potential loss to the Irish exchequer from global tax reform, employers' group Ibec has warned. Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports on Ibec's latest quarterly outlook, which says the Government's estimates on tax likely to be foregone do not consider the impact of a possible global minimum effective tax rate.

Eoin also has details of a European Commission assessment of the Irish economy which finds we have made little headway in dealing with the aggressive tax practices of multinationals.

Nama has won a court case in London against Frank Boyd, a property developer and one of the wealthiest men in the North. Mark Paul has details of the case, which concerns payments linked to interest rate agreements.

Avolon chief executive Dómhnal Slattery said yesterday that "all bets are off" when it comes to the impact of coronavirus on the airline industry, also questioning the preparedness of Irish authorities for an outbreak. He spoke to Suzanne Lynch.

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One company where directors say the impact of the virus has already been felt is Wicklow-based in-flight entertainment business Mythopoeia, which saw a liquidator appointed on Wednesday. Barry O'Halloran has the details.

The mood of Irish consumers did not lift last month as it did in several other countries because they may be experiencing "growth envy" spurred by glowing reports on the Irish economy that jar with constraints on disposable income, according to the latest KBC consumer sentiment index. Mark Paul reports.

Neil Briscoe writes that the production of electric cars in Europe is stalling due to a lack of battery supply. At the same time, he reports, it looks as if the majority of Europe's car makers will overshoot their fleet carbon emissions limits this year and be subject to major fines.

Chief executives should be inspiring and motivating to run a successful business, a new survey has found, but more than half don't manage it. Ciara O'Brien explains why.

"People are awful. This is what my job has taught me," says Chris Gray, a former contractor who worked as a moderator with Facebook. Gray, who is suing the tech giant, spoke to Marie Boran about the challenges of dealing with disturbing experiences.

This week saw the Supreme Court decide to refer several questions on the issue of data retention to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for review. In her Net Results column, Karlin Lillington looks at the wider issue of data retention in the State, and traces what brought us to where we are today.

In our Innovation section, Olive Keogh introduces us to Car T-cell therapy, a revolutionary treatment that is showing positive results in relation to blood cancers. Consultant paediatric haematologist Prof Owen Smith outlines how it works.

Dick Ahlstrom has bees on his mind in his column his week, outlining why we should all be concerned when our buzzy friends fail to show up in our gardens this summer.

And still in Innovation, Fiona Alston brings us to the Wicklow towns where a fintech start-up is creating a community with a payment system that emphasises the importance of local business.

Finally, if you're in the market for a new smartphone and are tempted by the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip (the screen does actually bend), Ciara O'Brien is on hand to tell you whether or not it is actually worth the €1,520 price tag.

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Úna McCaffrey

Úna McCaffrey

Úna McCaffrey is Digital Features Editor at The Irish Times.