Apple highlights a very taxing year for Ireland

There is usually a tax issue lurking somewhere in the background of Irish public debate. This year was no exception.

Perhaps it’s because of our membership of the EU, or perhaps it’s because of our reliance on foreign direct investment (FDI), or maybe it’s because we have a fragile government which can achieve almost nothing under the dispensation of new politics without some kind of nod to the tax system.

The big story at the top of the year was the appalling refugee crisis in the Mediterranean.