Irish Times Inside Business

This week the Government outlined spending of €200 billion on a National Development Plan stretching over the next decade. In parallel it also set out its stall for this year’s budget, signalling a spending and tax package of €9.5 billion. Joining host Ciarán Hancock in studio to dissect these spending plans and tax cuts against a backdrop of a potential trade war between the US and the EU were Ellen Coyne, political correspondent of The Irish Times, Ferga Kane, EY Ireland’s strategy and transactions team lead, and Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times. They tease out the headline numbers in the National Development Plan, the areas being targeted over the next five years, and the likely impact on future foreign investment. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Economist and writer David McWilliams was scathing about the level of dereliction in Dublin city in a recent article in the Irish Times. He suggested tax breaks and other measures to breathe new life back into the capital and to get more people living in the city centre. He joined host Ciarán Hancock to discuss his ideas and how we can learn from the mistakes of the not-too-distant past. Plus, it’s been another busy week on the tariff front with US President Donald Trump sending a letter to the EU threatening higher taxes on European imports into America. Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times has been covering this story and he joined Ciarán to talk through the contents of the letter, potential consequences for Ireland and whether this is yet another ploy by Donald Trump in this drawn-out negotiation with the EU. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

This week we’re looking at the Juggle that women with young children have to make in Ireland to find a work-life balance. It’s an age-old problem in Ireland with no solution yet in sight. Margaret Ward writes about Work issues each week for the Irish Times as well as running her own consultancy business Clear Eye and she’s written a series of articles on the Juggle in recent weeks. Aideen Finnegan is an audio producer with The Irish Times and the host of the Better with Money podcast. She has two young children, and you’ll hear her tell host Ciarán Hancock about the daily grind she and her husband face to get their kids to creche and school while also commuting to work to earn a living. Both of them offer their clear views on what Government and employers need to do to help young mothers balance their responsibilities at home and in the workplace. Also in this episode of Inside Business, Donald Trump recently got his Big Beautiful Act through Congress, which allows for major cuts in taxation while boosting spending in key areas to support his policies. It will also involve cuts in Medicaid and other assistance offered to the most vulnerable in the US. Keith Duggan joins host Ciarán Hancock on the line from Washington to discuss this and the latest developments in Trump’s tariff threats. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

This week we are looking at the phenomenon of the D4 farmer. Not some wealthy entrepreneur herding cattle in Ballsbridge but wealthy individuals buying up farmland around the country as a wheeze to reduce the inheritance tax bills for their children. How does the tax break work? What impact will it have on land prices? And is anything being done to change it? Fiona Reddan of the Irish Times wrote a brilliant article [https://www.irishtimes.com/your-money/2025/06/24/the-d4-farmers-how-the-rich-are-buying-up-land-to-avoid-inheritance-tax/] on this last week and she joins host Ciarán Hancock in studio, along with Marty Murphy, who is head of tax at IFAC Ireland, one of the country’s biggest accounting firms with a large number of farmers on its books. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

This week host Ciarán Hancock is joined by Willie Walsh, the director general of IATA, the Geneva-based representative group for the airline industry. Willie will be known to you as the Irish man who was a high-profile chief executive of both Aer Lingus and British Airways. He then became head of IAG, which is the parent group to both of those airlines plus some Spanish carriers, including Iberia. He’s now in charge of IATA, with his contract set to run until 2027. You’ll hear Willie talk about airline profits and whether air fares are likely to go up or down in the near term. He spoke about aviation’s role in reducing harmful carbon emissions and the chances of a climate-friendly biofuel being developed for commercial use. He gives his view on why emerging markets such as India and burgeoning economies in Africa are entitled to grow their airline industries and passenger traffic as they become wealthier. He also expresses his frustrations with the inefficient way air traffic control is managed in Europe. And Willie explains why, in his view, Ireland has become something of a laughing stock on the international stage over the legal battles being fought around the Dublin Airport passenger cap. In his view, this is hindering growth here and jeopardising foreign direct investment.  And the 63-year-old talks about his plans for retirement, which could include Italian wine.  Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.