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sunnyside wrote: Seriously though, it would really be in their best interests to punt Ireland out.

As I understand it the game Ireland played with the rest of the EU/EEC was to jump in on all the fair and open market stuff...and than slashed their corporate tax rate.

Economically speaking, that's the equivalent of making an agreement with your neighbors to remove all your city walls and make a big wall around everybody so you can get along better...and than raiding your neighbor.

Pretty much, yeah.

sunnyside wrote:So long as they let Ireland go along for the economic ride all the other nations are a little worse off and Ireland is better off. If they punted you out than you could keep your corp tax low, but all the other nations would get back all their options to turn the screws on Irish based buisnesses trying to use that lower tax rate to out compete local businesses.

Again, pretty much, yeah. But from all indications, what we're doing doesn't really seem to bother the EU all that much. See below.

sunnyside wrote:Oh wait, is somehow being able to mess with your corp tax rates or something like that part of the new EU deal and that's why it's so opposed in Ireland?

The original Lisbon Treaty - and the treaty that came before it - did indeed have things set up so that the EU could set the levels of various different taxes. However, that treaty was supported not only by our government, but a number of trade unions and corporate interest groups. It was the public who voted the treaty down, and I can't imagine too many people had corporate taxes on their mind when they voted no.

The recent one that the EU is trying to accept comes with a number of guarantees for Ireland, in an attempt to basicaly bribe us into saying yes. Off the top of my head:
-We keep the same number of representatives, despite other countries getting a reduction in their numbers.
-We can make up our mind on a number of "sensitive" issues, such as euthenasia, abortion, gay rights, etc. Basicaly, the EU's charter on human rights does not apply to us, and we'll be let make our own decisions on thos subjects.
-Ireland will not be made to contribute in any way to the EU's military forces, either through financial means or deploying troops, and will have the option of remaining neutral even if the rest of the EU gets involved in a conflict as one political entity.
-Ireland will retain full control over its taxes. The EU can't make us change any tax levels without our say-so.

As you can see, we've been let keep our low corporate tax levels, despite the fact that we didn't seem to bothered about giving them away last year. So, all in all, it doesn't seem like the rest of the EU really cares too much about what we're doing tax-wise.

Wow. Well, if you do take it than at least you're getting a sweet deal. Frankly it should be citizens of the other nations of the EU that should be pissed about that.

And I do recall periodically hearing someone over on that side of the pond complaining about Irelands corp tax rates. A quick google search finds
http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/200 ... 972928.asp

Still, that's, maybe, page 8 news. And spread out over the whole of the EU it doesn't cost any one indavidual much as Irelands only something like 1% of the EU. But still, it's economic effect is likely something along the lines of jacking the average person in some other EU member state $5 a year and sending it over to Ireland (or whatever the actual number might be).

sunnyside wrote:Wow. Well, if you do take it than at least you're getting a sweet deal. Frankly it should be citizens of the other nations of the EU that should be pissed about that.

I'm pretty sure that they are pissed about it. To all intents and purposes, Ireland will be making the decision for the whole EU.

And yeah, we won't actualy do too bad if it does come into force. I still dislike the idea of the EU gaining any more power than it already has, however.

sunnyside wrote:And I do recall periodically hearing someone over on that side of the pond complaining about Irelands corp tax rates. A quick google search finds
http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/200 ... 972928.asp

Still, that's, maybe, page 8 news. And spread out over the whole of the EU it doesn't cost any one indavidual much as Irelands only something like 1% of the EU. But still, it's economic effect is likely something along the lines of jacking the average person in some other EU member state $5 a year and sending it over to Ireland (or whatever the actual number might be).

*shrug* I'm sure other countries aren't all that pleased we're doing it, but the EU's actions seem to indicate that it doesn't mind all that much.

Hurm. Do you have the EUs nuts in a vice so to speak. I mean it's built on a number of existing treaties right? Is it that case that kicking you out would require going back on a number of treaties? Thus they have to bring you into the fold whether they like it or not if they want to create their EU?

No idea, to be honest.