Ireland Tackles Red Tape

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

13 May 2010

Irish Minister for Trade and Commerce, Billy Kelleher has announced the launch of a series of workshops that aim to simplify doing business in Ireland.

On May 11, the Department met with business leaders to establish concrete plans to reduce red tape by simplifying some of the core administrative burdens currently placed on business, in the first of three workshops.

The remaining two workshops are to take place during the next five weeks and will identify measures in three key areas, including matters relating to companies, employment and health and safety law.

Topics such as the keeping of accounts and the making of returns to the Companies Registration Office are being scrutinized during the first workshop, with participants discussing ideas on how these processes can be simplified for business.

Launching the workshop, Minister Kelleher said: “The government is committed to doing everything in its power to help Irish business regain its edge, both at home and abroad and that a key part of this is reducing costs.”

This work progresses the implementation of the government’s target to reduce the burden of red tape on business by 25% by 2012. A programme measuring the existing impact on business of the most significant administrative burdens in these areas has already been completed.

Ireland has already established itself as a leading place to do business, having been ranked ninth globally in the Ease of Doing Business survey, 2010, albeit down two places from 2009.

In 2010 Ireland also slipped from 7th to 9th place in the ease of establishing a new business index, but maintained its high rankings in protecting investors, ease of paying taxes, and closing a business, with 5th, 6th and 6th respectively. The report identified registering property as a major administrative burden for companies; Ireland received a ranking of 79th in this category in 2010, up from 84th in 2009, out of a total of 183 economies subject to the survey.

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