People come to live and work in Ireland for many reasons, but low taxes is not one of them

Ireland has a competitive tax environment for companies but we do not compete well when it comes to personal tax

We should not be too resistant to any genuine application to come to our country to live and work, whether they come via the Immigrant Investor Scheme, or through an employment permit. File Picture: Larry Cummins

Many Irish people identify their nationality as something really meaningful to them. This may be why there is some unease about the Department of Justice’s Immigrant Investor Scheme, because for some at least, “Irish-ness” is not something that should be for sale. Under the terms of the scheme, wealthy individuals from outside Europe can buy an entitlement to residency status in this country (though residency is not the same as citizenship).

The scheme has recently been in the news due to a surge in applications from individuals wanting to relocate here. More generally, the Immigrant Investor Scheme and others like it across the EU (we are not the only country which offers residency rights for cash) are under scrutiny from the European Parliament. Of course, generally speaking, EU nationals can come and live and work here without hindrance.