Letter: Republic can no longer freeload at the expense of the UK taxpayer
A letter from Johnny Andrews:
Following the European Court of Justice's recent judgement Republic of Ireland is to receive a £13bn windfall from Apple thus vindicating the European Commission's claim the tax avoidance scheme was illegal state aid.
David McWilliams in the Financial Times (September 14) describes the scheme as 'grubby' in reducing Apple's tax rate to single digits.
We now hear the Republic has too much money and with an embarrassment of riches due to ongoing tax surplus from multinational companies.
This adds to the cash pile it can't spend. With an economy operating at full capacity and scarce resources extra spending would be inflationary .There is little capacity for capital projects .
Republic should consider a contribution to UK for its ongoing defence support by RAF and Royal Navy since the De Valera / Churchill secret deal in 1952.
Perhaps a contribution to the protection of its waters and air space through NATO would be more palatable with the increasing threat from Russia.
Cables and pipelines in shallow Irish waters are now high on the agenda in security meetings within the EU and at NATO and plans are in place to open a control and command centre at Northwood in the UK to monitor threats and attacks on undersea infrastructure in Europe.
Ireland’s undersea cables and pipelines include two natural gas interconnectors that connect Ireland to a supply hub in Scotland. In addition, there is an electricity cable running between the Welsh and Irish coasts.
There are also several undersea internet cables on the west coast of Ireland. NATO Strategy Supremo General Wiesman said it was a “fair assumption” Russian ships had carried out extensive mapping of undersea cabling and pipelines in the seas around Europe.
Russian ships have been monitored by the Irish Air Corps and naval service off the Irish coast.
Sources reveal NATO vessels and aircraft were watching the ships in recent months. Ireland can no longer free load at UK tax payer expense.
Johnny Andrews, former vice chair, NI Conservatives