Irish Times Inside Business

First up on this episode of Inside Business, the issue of fuel costs after the Dáil voted to postpone the restoration of fuel excise duty last Friday.Did they wilt in the face of more potential protests?What is the cumulative impact of taxes, levies, regulations and other fuel-related charges on the cost of transport and home-heating fuels?And with the budget around the corner, should any changes to carbon tax consider both fuel affordability and the climate programmes funded by it?For more on this, host Cliff Taylor was joined in studio by Kevin McPartlan, CEO of Fuels for Ireland.Also in this episode, we look at the spread of digital tipping terminals that prompt customers to leave gratuities for basic counter service.Should you tip on a coffee-and-pastry purchase? What about a takeaway?And is tipping becoming expected rather than voluntary?Irish Times Consumer Correspondent Conor Pope has been writing about this, and he joined Cliff to give his thoughts.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Government has introduced 46 tax measures since 2013 to stimulate house building here. Have they worked and do they represent good value for money for taxpayers? To help answer that question Ciaran Hancock is joined by Marian Finnegan, chief executive of Sherry Fitzgerald, Ireland's largest estate agent, and John McCartney, a property economics lecturer in TU Dublin, who spent 20 years working in the commercial property sector.Together they debate a range of questions that are key to Ireland’s housing and property sector:How many new homes do we need per year to serve the needs of a growing population?Are schemes like Help to Buy or First Home good value for money - or do they only serve to drive prices ever higher? Is it possible to design new schemes to bolster homebuilding in areas outside Dublin, where needs remain unmet?What is the true level of vacancy around the country and what does it tell us about housing need? How healthy is the commercial property sector? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a busy week for tech giant Meta. Its new glasses have sparked controversy over privacy concerns, while founder Mark Zuckerberg published his AI manifesto, and the company indicated that it might be willing to pay local communities to host data centres in their areas. Irish Times tech expert Ciara O'Brien explains why the glasses have caused such a stir and how Zuckerberg's approach to AI differs.In part two: Ireland's corporation tax receipts are bulging, helped by the increase in the rate of tax paid by large companies as a result of recent changes agreed under the auspices of the OECD. The government recently published exchequer returns for the first seven months of the year, giving an insight into the extra corporation tax that is likely to flow our way. It's a helpful backdrop for the government in the run-up to October's budget. Eoin Burke-Kennedy looks at the numbers and what they mean. He also looks at what might happen to Ireland's public finances if an Apple, Microsoft, or Eli Lilly were to pull out.Brought to you in association with EY. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a column last week, Cliff Taylor posed the question as to whether middle earners are being ripped off by the Irish income tax system. And with no income tax package introduced in 2026, that meant the real tax burden has increased this year.Minister for Finance Simon Harris has signalled that tax cuts are coming in the budget targeted at middle income earners, but does that require difficult political trade-offs?Cliff joins host Ciarán Hancock in studio to give his view.Plus, in a hard-hitting column this week, John McManus posed the question as to how Michael Fingleton got away with it for so long.This is in relation to Fingleton’s stewardship of Irish Nationwide over nearly four decades until it collapsed in 2009, being bailed out by Irish taxpayers to the tune of €5.4 billion.Fingleton passed away last Sunday at the age of 88.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First up this week’s episode of Inside Business, we are looking at pensions and what constitutes a comfortable retirement here.A recent survey from Royal London Ireland suggested Irish workers believe they will need almost €41,000 per year to achieve that.So, when should you start contributing into a pension and what age should you ramp up those contributions? And why is home ownership so important when it comes to our financial life cycle?To discuss this host Cliff Taylor is joined in studio by partner at PwC Ireland Munro O’Dwyer.Plus, Permanent TSB shareholders are to vote Thursday July 30th on Austrian bank Bawag’s planned €1.62bn takeover.This suggests a finish line is in sight after the bank was put up for sale last October.But what will the takeover potentially mean for branch closures and staff cuts?Irish Times Markets Correspondent Joe Brennan has been writing about this, and he joined Cliff on the line.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First up on this week’s episode of Inside Business is Elon Musk's company SpaceX and its plan to raise $75 billion through what will likely be the biggest initial public offering (IPO) in history this Friday.The company values itself at $1.75tn, but some analysts feel it is worth far less.Could it prove to be a risky bet for the retail investor given SpaceX's lack of profit? And there are question marks over governance given Musk's almost untouchable status within the company.To get some insight on all this, host Cliff Taylor was joined in studio by Aidan Donnelly, head of Global Equities at Davy.Plus, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is expected to announce a 0.25% rise in the ECB's interest rate, this will bring it up to 2.25%.It will be the first interest rate hike since 2023, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impact that had on energy prices.So, what does this week’s increase mean for Irish mortgage holders and those looking to buy?And is this the beginning of a cycle of increases designed to control rising inflation?Cliff was joined in studio by Senior Mortgage Advisor at Irish Mortgage Brokers, Michael Dowling.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by An Post chief executive David McRedmond, who is about to step down after 10 years in charge of the State-owned company.He recently wrote an article for The Irish Times about the explosion in online shopping in this country and how it would impact on bricks and mortar retailers.Last year An Post delivered 75 million parcels to Irish homes.This year he expects that figure to be well north of 100 million parcels. All this in a country of just two million homes.In this episode, you’ll hear David outline how he believes we need to reimagine the streetscape in our towns and cities to reflect this shift.And he gives ideas on what to do with the historic GPO in Dublin, which An Post largely vacated some time back for new offices in the docks.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Inside Business looks at pay transparency. A new EU directive requiring employers to disclose salary ranges in the workplace and toughen rules enforcing gender pay equality comes into effect on June 7th.However, Ireland is set to miss that deadline, with no draft legislation in place. Nichola Harkin is head of employment law services at employers’ group Ibec and joins host Ciaran Hancock in studio to explain the key elements of the new EU pay legislation and what it will mean for employers and their staff.How is it being received by companies here? And will it close the gender pay gap?In the second half of this episode, Ciarán speaks to Irish Times Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan about the new governor of the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh. He has been described by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman as Donald Trump’s sock puppet.So, the question is, will he be his own man or a Trump patsy?Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

House price growth hit 6.5 per cent in March, the slowest rate in two years, offering some chink of light to those hoping to buy. For tenants however, the news is grim, with rents rising by 4.4 per cent in Q.1, the highest quarterly increase since 2022. While the number of eviction notices issued by landlords rose by 50 per cent in the same period. All that against the backdrop of new government rules around renting.To make some sense of these data points, Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Marian Finnegan, CEO of Sherry Fitzgerald, the country’s largest estate agent, and on the line by Irish Times Economics Correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy.In the second part of this episode, Ciarán is joined by Irish Times business reporter Ian Curran who was in Toronto last week as part of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards programme. Ian highlights some of the business leaders who impressed, their sales pitch, and reaction to Canadian prime minister Mark Carney’s group address as he seeks to wean Canada off its reliance on the US.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First up on this episode of Inside Business, the rising cost of living. Prepay Power last week became the first Irish energy supplier to announce an increase in its prices since the Middle East conflict began.Daragh Cassidy is Head of Communications at consumer advice website bonkers.ie, and he joins host Ciarán Hancock to discuss the outlook for a range of consumer prices, and whether other energy suppliers would follow Prepay Power’s lead and increase their prices.In the second half of this episode, Professor at the School of Computer Science & IT at UCC, Barry O’Sullivan, joins Ciarán to get under the skin of artificial intelligence and its poor image. Some say it will cure cancer and solve climate change; while others view it as a threat to humanity and something that will take away all our jobs. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.