Urgent talks as NAMA loses one in 10 staff this year
Since the start of this year 37 staff members have left the agency, which has a total workforce of 370, chief executive Brendan McDonagh said yesterday.
He declined to comment on whether he has been approached by private sector employers looking to lure him away from Nama.
The inability to retain staff is a “concern” at the moment.
Hypotheticallyy, if it continues to lose people at the current rate it …
Sweeping inquiry will probe more than 20 years of banking
The long-awaited €5m Oireachtas Banking Inquiry is to investigate the controversial bank guarantee, the troika bailout and the decision to liquidate the IBRC, the former Anglo Irish Bank, the Irish Independent can reveal.
The committee is set to adopt the recommendations it received from its ad-hoc advisory group, which included economists Colm McCarthy and Megan Greene and a number of top civil servants.
The 11-person committee will meet today in …
Thousands of tech jobs at risk over tax loophole threat
A major report was ordered by world leaders amid growing concern about international schemes to avoid tax.
It throws the spotlight firmly on Ireland, where about 150,000 people are employed by multinationals, many of them leading technology or finance firms.
The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) unveiled proposals to eliminate gaps in global rules that allowed firms to legally shave billions from their tax bills.
Ultimately, its …
AIB, BoI in better shape but lending down – Standard & Poors
The rating agency revised upwards its assessment of the liquidity positions of both banks.
AIB, led by David Duffy, and Richie Boucher’s Bank of Ireland are regarded as having “adequate” liquidity and “average” ability to finance themselves on the markets, S&P said.
Banks’ improving funding position is mainly down to the reduction in lending to customers since the height of the credit bubble, and the ditching of illiquid investments, the …
Lone Star picks up Irish banking licence with latest loan deal
South Africa’s Investec sold £540m (€677m) of Irish mortgages to the private equity firm, it said yesterday.
The Irish business being acquired suffered a loss of £21m last year.
The sale is certain to have been at a significant discount to the face value – or amount owed – on the loans, given the well-publicised problems within the “book” of mainly sub prime home loans.
OECD takes aim at Irish tax loopholes in new report
The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development specifically criticises measures such as the so-called ‘Double Irish’ which allows technology companies to avoid taxes by shifting taxes from operations here to tax havens such as Bermuda.
The tech companies avoid taxes by having the intellectual property involved held by tiny Irish-registered subsidiaries that are tax resident offshore.
These measures allow Apple to pay an effective tax rate of around 1pc …
Revealed: cut to top rate of tax on table in Budget
But the average family is only expected to benefit to the tune of €300 a year from the modest tax cuts in Budget 2015.
The tax relief will be targeted to give the greatest benefit to those on middle incomes. The more a worker earns, the less their tax cut will be worth.
Labour ministers were briefed on the shortlist of tax options available to the Government by Tanaiste Joan …
Judge approves order to serve via social networking site
Judge Bronah O’Hanlon permitted a liquidator to serve papers on a person connected with liquidated firm the Irish Education and Research Institute, which also traded as the Irish Business School. The school, which taught English to foreign students, closed suddenly in May. Accountancy firm PFK O’Connor, Leddy and Holmes was appointed as liquidator but could not contact the relevant person by email, fax or postal address.
Sunday Times
The government …
Sub-prime mortgage business Start Mortgages to be sold by Investec
The deal involves Start’s brand, operations and employees. It also includes all of Start, and certain other, Irish-mortgage-related financial assets and liabilities.
It is believed that all of the jobs of Start Mortgages’ 70 staff are secure. They will move to the new business and continue to manage a total loan portfolio of €1.1bn.
For customers, it is understood existing contractual rights and repayment obligations will remain unchanged and any …
'Workers at major companies must get wage increases as Government defends corporate tax' – minister
The Labour Party minister said the State was paying out €500m a year in “corporate welfare” through family income support and it was now time for big business to make more of a contribution.
“Many of those people are working for multinational organisations which arguably should be and could be paying their staff more,” Mr Nash told the Irish Independent.
“At the moment we have a phenomenon known as the …