Ireland’s ‘freeloading’ on defence despite huge tax windfalls, and its reputation as “the most anti-semitic country in the European Union” is being noticed by powerbrokers in Washington and across European capitals, the UUP’s Steve Aiken says.
His comments come after the Irish government’s recent budget, where it decided that its so-called ‘Apple windfall’ would be spent on infrastructure projects – but only contained a modest increase in spending on defence.
The South Antrim MLA said: “The pitiful €100M extra Ireland has added to its minuscule defence budget was noted carefully in Brussels and EU capitals.
“It will not have escaped those on the frontline with Russia, which realistically is now everyone in Europe, that Ireland, even with its Apple windfall, continues to freeload.
“Even a €1bn extra could have given the Irish Air Corps enough capability to operate tactical transport aircraft, rather than having to ask Canada and France to help evacuate its citizens. Coupled with its reputation of being the most anti-semitic country in the EU, this defence spending avoidance has also come to the wide attention of power brokers in Washington”.
The Republic’s income operates off a very narrow tax base, and in 2022 only 0.02% of companies accounted for 80% of its corporation tax receipts.
The Irish finance minister recently described a €14bn tax windfall from Apple as “transformational” and pledged to spend it on on infrastructure, not giveaways, when he revealed the coalition government’s budget.
Just weeks beforehand – the Irish government lost a case in the European court of justice where it had argued Apple should keep its money. That’s because Ireland – according to the court – had offered the global tech company a ‘sweetheart deal’ – something ministers in Dublin didn’t want to upset. Ireland’s corporation tax intake is around €38bn. Half of that comes from the top 10 companies, including technology companies like Apple and Microsoft and big pharmaceutical multinationals.
Simon Coveney, the former Irish minister for foreign affairs, recently said that the Jewish community in Ireland feels itself to be “under siege”. No representatives of the Irish government attended a recent October 7 memorial vigil organised by the Chief Rabbi of Ireland.
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