Finance Minister Michael Noonan has told the Dáil that the Government has made a commitment in the Programme for Government to maintain the country's corporation tax rate at 12.5% and he said that he was promising our international partners that the rate will stay at 12.5%.
He said that while a package of attractions for inward investment has been very successful, he said he believes with some adjustments more jobs can be created.
As part of that strategy, he said he is introducing a special assignee relief programme which will allow multinational and indigenous companies to attract key people to Ireland so as to create more jobs.
He is also introducing a foreign earnings deduction to further support the country's export drive by helping companies seeking to expand into emerging markets.
This deduction will apply were an individual spends 60 days a year developing markets for Ireland in the BRICs countries - Brazil, India, Russia, China and South Africa.
The Minister also reaffirmed the Government's commitment to the International Financial Services industry here which contributes over €1 billion in tax and employs more than 30,000 people. He said he will introduce a package of measures in the Finance Bill to support the continued success of the international funds industry, the corporate treasury sector, the international insurance industry and the aircraft leasing industry.
