Trump may target Ireland's IP incentives to lure back US companies

President-elect's economic agenda could have detrimental effect on business here, expert says

Donald Trump: If just one or two big taxpayer companies in Ireland decide to shift their IP or assets back to the US, it could put a massive dent in Ireland’s finances. Picture: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson

Ireland’s competitive advantage is set to be dismantled by Donald Trump’s economic agenda, a leading Irish economist has said.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner at the Web Summit in Lisbon, Aidan Regan, professor of political economy at University College Dublin, said the president-elect has promised to incentivise industries to bring production back to the US, pledging to slash the corporate tax rate to Irish levels from its current rate of 21%.