Commission’s tax probe criticised

Ireland is being investigated by the European Commission over its tax affairs because the commission is looking for some positive media coverage, according to Professor Frank Barry of Trinity College, Dublin.

Speaking at the joint subcommittee on global taxation, Mr Barry said the US and UK could easily close the majority of the world’s tax havens if they wanted. He claimed Ireland was being made a scapegoat in coverage of the tax arrangements that some multinationals engineered here.

“Why Ireland gets mentioned and called a tax haven is simply that the American politicians don’t want public recognition for the fact that they are responsible for allowing corporations to avoid immediate taxation. I guess it is populist politics at play,” Prof Barry said.