Ronan Lyons | Personal Website
Ronan Lyons | Personal Website

July 2009

A little quiz on Ireland’s income tax

Income tax will form more than one third of Ireland’s tax take in 2009. Yet, if the wild claims about who does or doesn’t pay what are anything to go by, the nature of Ireland’s income tax regime is poorly understood. This post includes a little quiz to see whether some key aspects of Ireland system are understood and where readers think the system should be. It also outlines some startling findings in relation to income tax, but don’t forget to answer the questions before you read the findings! Read more

The level of transactions in property and the emergence of regional property markets

The latest daft report shows that asking prices are now almost 25% below their 2007 peak but also shows regional differences, with prices in some areas falling twice as much as in others. This post explores the typical time a property spends on the market across the different parts of the country and the share of properties coming off the market in a particular month. Interesting regional trends emerge. Read more

Is government expenditure in Europe an inferior good? The Slovakia-Ireland paradox

To an economist, “inferior goods” are those we switch away from as we become richer. Between 2000 and 2008, Europeans became 14% richer, while the typical European government increased its share in the economy from 44.7% to 45.4%. The two fastest growing economies, however, the Slovak Republic and Ireland, had exactly opposite experiences, with the Slovak government now the smallest in Europe. It turns out that these countries aside, poorer countries generally saw their governments grow, while wealthier European states saw their governments shrink. Read more