Irish Times Inside Business

The imposing acronym CCCTB could spell serious trouble for the Irish economy according to the Economic and Social Research Institute. Bottom line: the proposed European Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base could wipe 1.5 per cent off economic output. On today's Inside Business podcast, Mark Paul goes into the details of the ERSI's report. Economist Jim Power says it is time we accepted the inevitability of more equitable corporate tax rates and faced up to the challenges this will pose our unique situation, while Suzanne Lynch in Brussels says CCCTB is not yet cause for panic.Mark, Jim and Suzanne also discuss the plight of Italian banks which some fear could plunge the EU into a new banking crisis in 2017, and take another look at the goings-on in Independent News and Media's boardroom after Monday's EGM bun-fight between board and shareholders over pensions. In part two: $69 transatlantic flights? At that price point you might be forgiven for ignoring the fine details, and Norwegian Air's plan to launch t

The Irish Times broke the story about a "schism" within the Independent News & Media board that led its CEO Robert Pitt to consider his position. For more on the story this week's host Cliff Taylor talks to business affairs correspondent Mark Paul and media reporter Laura Slattery.Then Ciara O'Brien pops in with an array of gadgets you may be tempted to splash out on, either for yourself or a loved one this Christmas. Ciara shows Cliff how to use a Virtual Reality headset and the best way to silence a blabbering Furby. And Joe Brennan has the latest market news, including Opec's moves towards reducing oil production and fears over Italy's constitutional referendum. What knock-on effects will a defeat for Mario Renzi have on Italy's banks? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Central Bank announced today that it is easing the mortgage lending rules. What will this mean for first time buyers and will supply meet increasing demand for new units? To discuss the permutations of this latest decision, Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Housing Studies lecturer in DIT Lorcan Sirr and Markets Correspondent Joe Brennan.Black Friday promises deep discounts for bargain hunters in the run up to Christmas. While a a relatively new phenomenon in this country, Black Friday has had American consumers queuing outside stores for decades. Does it actually represent good value for shoppers and why are some bricks and mortar retailers less than enthused by it's growing popularity here? Our Consumer Affairs Correspondent Conor Pope, CTO with eShopWorld Colm O'Donaill and founder of Wolfgang Digital Alan Coleman offer their insight. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"Transformational" is how Greencore CEO Patrick Coveney described the company's proposed $747.5 million acquisition of Illinois-based Peacock Foods. Patrick joins Ciarán Hancock to talk about the deal. Why is this deal the right one for Greencore now, and how will they avoid a repeat of their ill-fated purchase of Imperial Holly in the 1990s? In part two, Irish Times business team Cliff Taylor, Laura Slattery and Joe Brennan pop in with all the business news that's fit to talk about, including post-Trump market mayhem, moves by Aer Lingus and Easyjet, and Virgin Media's purchase of UTV. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The election of Donald Trump has taken everyone by surprise, not least the Republican Party who seemingly have no transitional arrangement in place. How will President Trump impact free trade? Will we see an exodus of US companies from our shores? Will President Trump retreat from some of the rhetoric that defined his election campaign? To answer these questions and more, Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by business consultant and former Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton, Equity Analyst at Investec Ronan Dunphy and Business Editor Cliff Taylor. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We look ahead to the presidential election and ask whether a President Trump or a President Clinton would best serve Irish interests in trade, foreign direct investment, the peace process and dealing with undocumented migrants. On the panel are former Taoiseach John Bruton, American economist Megan Greene and NUIG lecturer and Boston native Larry Donnelly. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mark Paul paid a visit to Athenry in Galway to find out about Apple's proposed data centre there and a legal challenge to it's development that has the local business community up in arms. A proposed trade deal between Canada and the EU could be scuppered by the staunchly socialist Wallonia region in South Belgium. To look at the reasons for this we're joined by Suzanne Lynch and EU trade expert John Clancy. Does the merger of AT&T and Time Warner signal a change in how their customers will watch content in the future? The $85.4 billion deal would bring 130 million mobile phone customers and 25 million pay-TV subscribers in contact with a vast amount of content - if allowed go through. Laura Slattery explains. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Michael O'Leary remains bullish in the face of falling sterling with promises to pump a million seats month into weak winter market and 15% price reductions. Head of broking at Goodbody Stockbrokers Joe Gill and markets correspondent Joe Brennan join host Cliff Taylor to discuss the strange scenario of Ryanair issuing profit warning while seeing a 5% rise in their stock.Joe Brennan discusses the permutations of tomorrow's Finance Bill in light of what many are calling a "minimalist budget". What are the key issues Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has to grapple with? What kind of tone of discussion can we expect at this week's EU leaders summit and how will those present react to the 'hard Brexit' line taken at the recent Tory Party conference? Suzanne Lynch joins us on the line from Brussels to discuss Theresa May's much-anticipated first EU summit as leader.And finally, Ciarán Hancock sat down with Gareth Loye and Mark McCloskey for the last in our series of EY Entrepreneur of the year profiles. See acas

On this week's podcast our panel looks at budget 2017.First, Political Correspondent Fiach Kelly reports from Leinster House on what big ticket items were announced today. Then Ciarán Hancock is joined by Irish Times Property Editor Madeline Lyons, Business Editor Cliff Taylor and Peter Reilly of PWC to look at what the budget means for housing, business, investors and your pocket. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Part one: Host Ciarán Hancock and Markets Correspondent Joe Brennan are joined on the line by BBC business reporter Joe Lynam to get the latest understanding of short and long-term impact of Brexit. The drop in sterling aside, the much-anticipated "short, sharp shock" hasn't quite materialised. What is the current mood among the Conservative party, and what awaits Britain and Ireland after Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty is invoked next March?Part two:In the wake of the closure of Clerys last June, it has come to light that Boston-based equity firm Gordon Brothers paid themselves €3.65 million shortly before the the store closed its doors and 460 people lost their jobs. Business Affairs Correspondent Mark Paul talks us through the recent developments.Part three: The latest in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards nominee profiles features Stephen Vernon of Green Property and Colin Culliton from TPI Group. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The domestic tourism industry has experienced strong growth in the last two years and now provides one eighth of all jobs in Ireland. Initiatives like the Wild Atlantic Way and the 9% VAT rate applicable to some in the industry have helped. On today's programme, Business Affairs Correspondent Mark Paul takes to the road to speak with operators around the lesser-visited parts of the country to see how things are going and what more can be done. Back in studio, Mark and Ciarán are joined by practitioners Travis Zeray of Clew Bay Bike Hire, Joan Reilly of Doolin 2 Aran Ferries, and also Eoghan O'Mara Walsh of Irish Tourism Industry Confederation to discuss what more can be done by the state and the industry to continue the good work. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's another bonus podcast featuring four more finalists in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year competition. This week we have Leona and Sean McAllister of Plotbox, a software tool for managing cemeteries and John Moore of 3D4 Medical, specialising in the creation of 3D renderings of anatomy. Leona and Sean explain how they got into their unusual line of business and John shares how 3D4 achieved 12 million users. Then Brendan Mooney talks about how his firm Kainos Group helps government departments harness the power of IT and cloud computing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Part one: Interim COO of Limerick 2030 Pat Daly joins us on the line to discuss how a €500 million investment will rejuvenate Limerick city, helping to create 5,000 plus jobs and make the city attractive for foreign investment. Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by The Irish Times' Barry O'Halloran to crunch the numbers.Part two: Laura Slattery discusses TV3's proposal to merge content with RTÉ to create a channel aimed squarely at the diaspora. Is this a play from TV3 to get a slice of the license fee?Part three: Business Editor Cliff Taylor and Policy Director of the Irish Tax Institute Cora O'Brien analyze our unforgiving personal taxation system and look ahead to 2016's budget. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Three more finalists from the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards meet Ciarán to talk about their businesses, what it takes to be an entrepreneur and some of the chances and challenges they face. Featuring James McGee of Athlone Extrusions, Maurice Healy of Healy Group and James Lecky of Lecky Design. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's podcast: Nama is in the news again as the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the agency's sale of a portfolio of properties in Northern Ireland, known as Project Eagle, found that the agency lost €220 million in the deal. Barry O'Halloran talks us through what we now know, questions that remain to be answered and Nama's surprising response to the report. Then tech reporter Ciara O'Brien outlines the pros and cons of Apple's new smartphones the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. And it's week three of our series on EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalists. This week Ciara Clancy of Beats Medical, Paul Quigley of NewWhip Media and Gavan Walsh of iCabbi talk about their businesses. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Following the loss of her Dáil seat, former Minister for Europe and Renua founder Lucinda Creighton has made the switch to business. Her new company, Vulcan Consulting, "offers specialist advice to growing businesses and multinational companies on complex domestic and EU regulation". On today's Business Podcast, Lucinda talks about the aftermath of her election defeat, deciding to go it alone with a new company, and her views on Brexit and the Apple tax ruling. And in week two of our series profiling the finalists of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards, we speak with Lesley Codd of Codd Mushrooms, Louise Grubb of Q1 Scientific and Noel Moran of Prepaid Financial Services. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The EU Commission's ruling that Apple must pay Ireland €13 billion in back taxes leaves all parties involved with a complicated mess on their hands. To help make sense of it all we have Brian Keegan, Director of Taxation with Chartered Accountants, as well as Irish Times Europe Correspondent Suzanne Lynch and Business Editor Cliff Taylor on the first part of today's podcast. In part two The Business Podcast proudly presents the first part of a new series in which we talk to the finalists in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards about their companies, their successes and their insights. First up it's Gillian Maxwell of Tiger Retail Ireland and Kieran O’Keeffe of MobileWebAdz. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Congested, overcrowded and with soaring rents, Dublin needs development. But which kind? Ibec produced a report this week arguing for more high-rise buildings to accommodate the capital's swelling population. Fergal O'Brien, director of policy with Ibec joins Cliff Taylor and Ciarán Hancock to look at the steps needed to ensure our capital's future and also how much focus there should be on regional development. In part two Cliff and Ciarán look at the major business stories of the week with Joe Brennan and Eoin Burke Kennedy, including:- Farmers clash with Larry Goodman's ABP - CSO data showing over two million in employment for first time since the crash- Print circulation dives - "Brexit? What Brexit?" for Kingspan after positive results- US Treasury fires shot across EU Commission's bow over corporate tax See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

IOC President Pat Hickey's arrest in Rio is the latest twist in a tangled story. Business Affairs Correspondent Mark Paul and our editor Cliff Taylor explain what we know about the links between the companies, organisations and individuals invovled in the Olympic ticket scandal. Mark has also been reporting this week on Special Purpose Vehicles, a type of company that is being used to avoid billions in tax in this jurisdiction - while employing practically no-one. He tells us how it all works and how they could be concealing a big problem. Another type of vehicle with no-one working in it is the driverless taxi, which is in the pinelines and expected to be on the streets by 2020 according to an announcement by Ford. Our motoring expert Michael McAleer pops in to update us on the race between tech and car firms to put the first popular driverless cars on our streets. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Part One: Mark Paul and Barry O'Halloran have the latest on this week's business news, including: - Threats and opportunities for our thriving tourism industry - Could it be time for a 3rd Terminal at Dublin Airport? - Titanic tax bill for celebs who wrote off losses after investing in flops like, erm, Avatar...- Clerys owners keep reaping whirlwind of their PR disasterPart Two: It's a huge summer for sports, and also a huge summer for sports sponsorship. Jamie Macken of sponsorship specialists Livewire joins Laura to talk about the trends in sponsorship: the industries buying up space, which sponsors are doing it right, and how sponsored media consumption patterns are changing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.