Cliff Taylor columns
The signs of an economic wobble were already there - businesses not investing, top-end asking prices for houses trimmed. And now the US president is at it again, promising big tariffs on the EU.
After a decade of mostly strong economic growth, many middle-income family budgets do not have a lot of slack. Now, the Government faces tough decisions
We call housing a ‘crisis’ but don’t deal with it that way
The Coalition is showing signs of panic on housing in a fruitless search for easy answers
Despite Ireland’s best efforts, the digital tech companies will be pulled into the conflict - this will threaten jobs and could have implications for the way we all use the internet
Huge uncertainty will now put a lot of economic activity in the deep freeze as we wait to see if we are back in the Rose Garden for Liberation Day Part 2 in three months
This will be more than a speed bump in Ireland’s economic progress. Let’s not even mention that cosy nugget of the ‘soft landing’
April 2nd is going to be a day to remember. But what are the long-term implications? And how bad is it likely to be?
The State will be central player in the US president’s tariffs forthcoming ‘gameshow’ – and the jeopardy will be real
The firms must try to safeguard their future, but the project has to proceed. There has to be a way to resolve this
The stellar Irish economic figures we are seeing are likely to be as good as it gets for now
The wealth of Irish households surged by 15 per cent last year to reach a record €1,205bn but house prices remain the key to what happens next
Even in the most transactional theory of Maganomics, bluffs on tariffs can only take the US president so far
There may be scope for an agreement on drug exports to the US though in the other key area in dispute - regulation of digital services - room for compromise could be limited
A key risk is that Donald Trump seeks to isolate Ireland as one of his first targets, because of the huge trade deficit the US has with this State
The previous coalition claimed nearly 40,000 homes would be completed last year - it never looked likely and with the total coming in just over 30,000 the new Government’s targets are already under pressure
Now that we know that Trump’s tariff threats are not just bluster, it is clear that risks lie ahead of the Irish economy
Forget ‘greenwashing’ - now the talk in the corporate world is of “greenhushing”
The incoming coalition has the money and the opportunity to tackle the housing and infrastructure shortages, but has it got the drive to learn from the failures of its last term?
The US president has pulled out of the OECD tax deal and made threats which will worry the new Irish government
The programme for government lacks any hint of the urgency needed on delivery: instead, what we have seen so far is process-driven, box-ticking sloth
If compact living is really the goal of national policy, then Ireland really needs to get a lot better at this. Our planning system rarely acts in the interests of renters
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
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices
