March 2013 Archives

Are property taxes in Ireland favoring the rich?

By Paddy Clancy, Irish Voice Reporter

Bono and Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary could save thousands in a controversial tax based on how their homes have been valued on the Revenue Commissioners' new website.

Eyebrows have been raised by the new property tax, with homeowners expected to accurately assess what to pay the government based on the value of their houses.

The tax is assessed based on the value of a home. It is €90 if the property is worth under €100,000. The amount payable increases with every extra €50,000 the home is valued at. If it is worth more than €1 million the tax is €1,800 and for every extra €1 million the tax goes up another €2,500.

Bono predicts that the number of people living on a dollar a day will be non-existent by 2030

By Amanda Driscoll, IrishCentral Intern

During the TED conference of 2005, U2 frontman Bono delivered the disturbing news that 11 million AIDS orphans and 6,500 Africans were dying every day from AIDS due simply to their lack of access to drugs that are available in the pharmacies that we take for granted. At that time, Bono asked people to actively take part in the fight against poverty rather than just donating to charity.

This year, at the Ted conference of global innovators, Bono delivered positive news on the fight against poverty, telling his audience that the number of people living in extreme poverty has steadily declined and that by 2030, no one in the world will be living on less than $1 a day.