The EU is forcing iIreland to increase its corporation tax. The UK will be able to undercut them when we have left and overseas countries will pour into Britain. The EU I guess will become irrelevant both to the UK and the rest of the world.

The EU is not forcing Ireland to increase its corporation tax. I've no doubt British corporation tax, and the public services it pays for, will be slashed after Brexit because that's what happens when you have Brexit presided over by the Tory party.

So....the EU's intervention in this matter is .......good for Ireland?

Are you talking about the Apple ruling? That's under appeal to the ECJ, but it looks to me as if the EU commission is using competition rules to make a grab for money that should rightly be taxed in the US. It has nothing to do with Ireland's corporation tax rate anyway.

Germany and France have proposed EU harmonisation of corporation tax rates. The UK has always threatened to veto such proposals.

And so has Ireland. Even the useless Enda would veto any such proposals.

The UK has a opt out on economic and monetary union. Ireland does not.

If Ireland can veto depends on how its introduced.

Article 93 of the Treaty of European Union requires the:
…harmonisation of legislation concerning turnover taxes, excise duties and other forms of indirect taxation to the extent that such harmonisation is necessary to ensure the establishment and the functioning of the internal market.

Article 96 of the EU Treaty permits EU action where the legal or administrative rules of a Member State distort competition within the EU. Legislation can be adopted under Article 96, via qualified majority voting. No veto for Ireland.

The EU Commission has previously said:
"The Commission cannot, as guardian of the treaties, be lenient on infringements in the tax field... In this context, it may also be recalled that Article 96 of the Treaty provides a legal basis for the Commission to take action to deal with distortions of competiton in the internal market, including proposing directives, which may be adopted by qualified majority"

The ECJ could also be a means to tax harmonisation through its interpretation of the treaty.

Corporation tax is a red line issue for all the main political parties in Ireland, Mark. Its either vetoed, or Ireland would walk. Its not going to happen though, because Ireland's corporation tax might be a British obsession but we're not the only country in the EU that would vote against harmonisation. It wouldn't pass with QMV either.

Britain is the second biggest contributor to the EU budget. Any ideas on whose going to pay Ireland's farmers when we leave, and the CAP is underfunded?

Your budget contribution will be easily replaced between 27 countries each paying a proportional share. That's a trivial issue to everybody other than Brexiters.

We really dodged the bullet on the Euro. Madness to think that some people would still sign us up for it if given half a chance.

Didn't the "financial experts" also predict economic Armageddon if we didn't jump onboard?

Yeah I can see that going down well with remaining member states. Especially those already in a poor financial state.

No, but our economy is now about 1.20/1.60 the size it would have been if we'd joined the Euro at the start.

Yawn. Haven't you got anything better to do tell on Boxing Day?

Laughable. who's going to pay for it? The dynamic stunnng powerhouses of Latvia and Slovakia?

We don't owe you a penny for gods sake. I'm writing my letter now to Italy to demand compo for the Roman invasion

If you were stupid enough to be invaded and not defend your own lands then you deserve to be conquered we owe you nothing.

If Ireland thinks its going to get away with the shit it does now, it has another thing coming. It was Britain that stood up for Ireland when their economy hit the slammer, Britain and Sweden were the only two countries to provide bilateral loans without stringent conditions attached. The low tax haven status of Ireland will be under threat when we leave, not only will we be competitive, you can guarrantee the EC will drive through channges to tax. Now I know the arguement will be that tax is a domestic issue.......it won't remain that way as compentencies transfer to Brussels.

I'm not saying Ireland won't continue to be a success, it will be amongst the biggest lowers when we do Brexit.....they are our largest bilateral trading partner in the EU.......where we buy more from them, than they do us.

Something the Irish posters on here forget, is that Britain has always been an ally in the EU. They will be pushed around even more once we go. Yet, the posters on here make us out to be Devils.

That's nice

Perhaps Britain can join a book club or something? I am reading City by the late American science fiction author Clifford Simak. It's absolutely fantastic. I came on here for a break after the forth tale. It keeps on getting better.

I have just discovered these new presants on the sidebar.

Countries don't get invaded because they're stupid but because they're smaller than the more savage and aggressive country who invades them. And we did defend ourselves many times, that's why Ireland has such a violent history. Your country had no right to be here, no right to take a penny off us, and certainly no right to complain about the EU paying us structural funds now.

Nonsense on stilts. Ireland is not going to sign up to tax harmonisation, and you do not buy more from us than we buy from you, get your facts right. We're one of the few EU countries that has a trade deficit with the UK.

All 27 countries will increase their contribution proportionately. We've already calculated ours, its about 200 million which is a drop in the ocean in budgetary terms. Your EU contribution is a big deal to you, its not to the rest of the EU.

All? Even the majority of countries that are net beneficiaries? Doubt it. I