There’s no secret as to why so many companies have chosen to base their operations in Dublin – Ireland is the top country in the world for investment incentives.
Favourable Tax Regime
Ireland’s corporate tax rate is 12.5%. That’s the third-lowest in the EU, and the third-lowest in the OECD group of developed economies. Only Switzerland’s and Hungary’s are lower.
The PWC “Paying Taxes 2019” report ranked Ireland 1st in Europe for ease of paying business taxes. Ireland is ranked 2nd in the World for Tax attractiveness for digital business models.
Tax incentives to support investment in innovation
A priority for Ireland is the support of investment in research and development. Its 25% R&D tax credit, together with a firm but fair intellectual property (IP) protection regime and access to world-class universities, makes Dublin a great place to invest in R&D.
The Knowledge Development Box (KDB) is a corporation tax relief which applies to income from qualifying patents, computer programmes and, for smaller companies, certain other certified IP. It offers a tax deduction of up to 50% on profits arising from new innovations. The KDB is the centrepiece of a broader IP tax regime offering generous capital allowances to offset against the profits arising from qualifying IP assets. These allowances may offer a deduction of up to 80% of the relevant profits, with the remaining 20% taxable at Ireland’s competitive 12.5% corporate tax rate.
The creation of the Employment and Investment Incentive (EII), which provides tax relief for those investing in certain types of start-ups, is another encouraging development in this area.
