Submissions from both the business body Ibec and Deloitte warn that Ireland's proposed Knowledge Development Box (KDB) scheme could be too narrow to encourage companies to carry out research and development projects here.
The KDB was announced as part of Budget 2015 - the patent box scheme charges corporations less tax on profits gained from intellectual property.
Deloitte argues that a tax rate of 2.5 percent should be considered on profits from the development of intellectual property - the knowledge box tax rate is expected to be closer to 5 percent.
Irish Independent reports that Ibec has warned that the linking of R&D profits to the amount invested will limit the benefit that corporations would gain from the KDB.
The initiative is due to be introduced in 2016 - it comes at a time when 'patent box' style programmes are being scrutinised as part of a global crackdown on corporate tax avoidance.
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Former Aer Lingus Chief Executive could earn close to €4.4m through the sale of shares and share options he owns in the airline if the current €2.55 per share bid for Aer Lingus by IAG succeeds.
According to the Aer Lingus Annual Report, Mr Mueller owned close to 710,000 shares at the end of last year and had options to buy a further one million shares at a fraction of their actual price. These options could be worth more than €2.5m at the IAG share price offer.
Mr Mueller left Aer Lingus in February and is due to start as Chief Executive of Malaysia Airlines on May 1st.
Meanwhile it is now expected that the review group preparing a report for government on the IAG bid is unlikely to come to Cabinet for approval until the week after next at the earliest.
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EU Commission approved Permanent TSB’s financial restructuring plan yesterday on basis of further commitments from the bank, notably that they will reduce the value of non-performing tracker mortgage loans on its books.
This reduction, which must take place over the next three years, could be effected either by the bank resolving the problem loans itself, or more controversially, selling them on to a third-party.
It’s not clear what proportion of the bank’s tracker loans are non-performing, though the bank recently announced that the number of customers in mortgage arrears of more than 90 days had fallen by 8,000 last year and that it continued to engage with the more than 20,000 mortgage customers in arrears generally.
The bank is currently raising more than €500m in new capital which will reduce the State’s shareholding, though it will continue to hold a majority stake.
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The Five-star hotel and golf resort in Co Kildare has reported pre-tax losses totalling €3.7m in 2013, the latest financial figures available.
The directors’ report states that subsequent to December 2013, the group incurred further losses on ordinary activities after interest, though the resort’s chief executive, Michael Davern, recently noted that they had achieved operational break-even in 2014.
The K Club is currently undertaking a €20m expansion programme including the addition of 70 bedrooms.
Interest payments alone amounted to almost €750,000 in 2013.
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Amazon has finally won approval from US Federal regulators to test delivery drones outdoors.
Flights must be kept at an altitude of no more than 400 feet and must be no faster than 100 miles per hour.
The e-commerce site plans to use small pilot-less aircraft to deliver packages to customers over distances of 10 miles or more.
