Cliff Taylor

The bluster would be designed to appeal to the wider electorate; the reality would keep the Dow Jones average heading higher, or so the theory goes

Some forecasters believe the economy will expand by close to 4.5 per cent. Most other EU countries would take your hand off for half that

There is no political division on the issue of the Republic needing a bigger and more efficient State. The question is how to deliver it

Youth work is not an optional extra, it is essential to our communities

Forget the talk about the rotating Taoiseach, serious strategic issues now face Ireland and getting more efficient at delivery of housing, infrastructure and public services is vital

Ireland is an ‘unbelievably rich’ country with the infrastructure of a poor one. And dark clouds are gathering on the horizon

When Labour is preaching prudence, you know we’ve got a problem

The intentions of the new administration are clear. If the promised heavy tariffs on goods entering the US from the EU are imposed, this is a big hit to our economic model

As the new US president targets the European Union, Ireland is likely to find itself in some uncomfortable positions

The Republican candidate has promised dramatic changes in tax and trade policies, with potentially big implications for the Irish economy

Big foreign investors are putting projects on hold because they are losing faith in Ireland’s ability to deliver. We need to do something - but what?

This kind of house is attracting bids both from those seeking to move and from first-time buyers

Budget 2025 tax break for homeowners is hard to justify when the extra tax credit for renters costs €65 million

Interplay of temporary and permanent measures means that this is a budget for better off people with children – the more the better

The Government is aiming to woo voters with a mix of once-off payments this year and permanent tax and welfare measures for 2024. But will the public be confused or grateful?

Apple’s windfall cash will help fund State investment, but promises about top-class education, green energy and abundant water count for little without delivery

Soon, when the tax boom bottoms out, there could be an epic battle over who pays the bills

New figures show that the earnings base has been transformed, with a big economic impact, including in the housing market

Most people favour wealth taxes in theory, though they don’t consider themselves wealthy - but almost nobody seems to be in favour of inheritance tax

Couples with six-figure joint incomes are priced out, but the market is still flush with cash

A little imagination and a bit of cash could stop a childcare problem turning into a crisis

The locked-out generation is a key election battleground: Sinn Féin will hope its policy lands with them

Calls for new quangos should resisted, but there are three reasons to support the establishment of a small powerful group to oversee housing delivery

The economic risks of Donald Trump’s policies have big implications for Ireland - it is time to start taking them much more seriously

The risk is that by the time there is a wider acceptance of the need to move more quickly on vital infrastructure projects, it will be too late

Everyone is spinning a yarn ahead of October 1st — as Roy Keane might say, ‘they are only doing their jobs’

Another Trump presidency is not good news for the classic middle men of a globalised world economy

Michael McGrath’s much-rumoured move to Brussels would leave Paschal Donohoe to face a solo battle over spending demands in the run in to a general election

Ireland’s politicians could not resist a bit of bank-bashing in an election week

The State risks losing out as a bidding war breaks out for major projects between the big countries, including huge subsidies for US companies to encourage them to invest at home

The Department of Housing’s reply to the landmark report was to say that most of what it called for is already being done, If so, why is the commission calling for a ‘radical reset’?

Intel is selling a stake in its Irish plant - how much of the money is invested here will be an indication of whether Ireland’s appeal is waning

Lack of funding forces colleges to charge heavily for accommodation, get in high-paying students from outside the EU and try to milk cash from features like the Book of Kells

Three new developments in housing emerged this week - and not one of them is good news for anyone trying to buy a home

A country which has prospered for many years from being all things to all people is facing some new and difficult questions, particularly if Donald Trump is the next US president

The cocktail called the “budget bonanza” features some reasonable pre-budget suggestions sloshing around with some very poor ones

Falling interest rates will, of course, help prospective buyers too. But they are buying into a market that’s only getting hotter

Irish unity report highlights how analysis of the costs and potential pay-offs is now required

The new Taoiseach can bring fresh energy, but has he new ideas that can improve the lives of the younger voters the party is desperate to attract ?

If Trump returns, the risk will be of a more extreme presidency, featuring aggressive policies on trade and investment with unpredictable consequences for the Irish economy