Daft Property - Irish Property News

The times, they are uncertain... The past year was characterised by harsh economic truths and a grinding dilution of hope, especially for people on the margins of society and those who saw their lifestyles – and livelihoods – dissolve IT WAS the year of uncertainty. Of waiting, and waiting, and dreading. The dominos of society collapsed one by one – the see-no-evil bishops and priests, the senior gardaí who colluded with them, the invincible developers, swaggering bankers, procrastinating judges, grasping politicians, language itself – and trust fell off a cliff. More than two out of three people declared they trusted no-one, in a monthly poll on the mood of the nation. Loss of trust was a theme of the year, says Carolyn Odgers of Chemistry Advertising, which commissioned the poll from Amárach Research. It was confirmed by The Irish Times /Behaviour Attitudes social survey last month . Only three in 100 will be bothered to look more closely at Government and in the event of another rec...

Ireland can breach EU spending rules to boost economy... Ireland will be allowed to breach EU spending guidelines for two years and access significant EU funding ahead of schedule, under an EU-wide financial package to be announced this week. The package will provide a boost for the government, which is preparing for a major shortfall in the annual tax take. Initial estimates show a 25 per cent decrease in the corporation tax take in 2008 and a shortfall of more than 55 per cent in capital gains tax receipts. In a briefing with The Sunday Business Post in Brussels, Catherine Day, secretary general of the European Commission, said the commission stimulus package would contain ‘‘concrete and ambitious proposals’’ to help EU member states to deal with the economic crisis. Day said it was likely that countries would be allowed greater flexibility from the EU Stability and Growth Pact, which limits borrowing by member states to 3 per cent of GDP. The flexibility will be allowed for a two-y...