The core issue of Apple’s ‘unpaid’ €13bn is our love of the tax deal

As Prof Joseph Stiglitz said, the State knew what it was doing in agreeing Apple tax deals, writes Alison O’Connor.

August is usually a quiet news month. This year, though, Ireland has hit the international headlines twice in as many weeks. Neither case would come under the Tourism Ireland definition of positive publicity.

Our first brush with international notoriety was the rumble in Rio, with the arrest of Olympic chief, Pat Hickey, and the allocation of Irish tickets. Mr Hickey has yet to go through the Brazilian judicial process, and has not been found guilty of any wrongdoing, but the reputational damage done to Ireland will stick.