Last updated Feb 28, 2024 and written by Tom Richardson

10 reasons why Ireland is a great business location for Company Formation

This month we are focusing on the offshore market for companies. With world economies being in apparent meltdown, there are still many reasons why individuals and entities from many countries choose a particular jurisdiction to locate their commercial operations. One country that has particularly suffered from the Eurozone crisis, but is still a highly attractive destination for commercial entities, is Ireland. Here are ten reasons why Ireland is a great business location.

In recent years, Ireland has become the investment destination of choice of over 1,000 multinational companies. This was due in equal measure to the pro-business environment as well as the widely publicised attractive tax regime that Ireland has to offer.

Despite its many economic problems, this is still the case. A recent report found Ireland to be the easiest country in Europe and the 6th easiest in the world in which to pay business taxes and Ireland was ranked 5th in the world for protecting investors by a Global Innovation Report.

Here are ten reasons why you should consider Ireland as a venue of choice

  1. The well publicised low corporation tax rate of 12.5% is one of the lowest in Europe comparing favourably with the UK’s 26% and France’s rate in excess of 34%.
  2. Favourable treatment on receipt of dividend income.
  3. Double taxation relief available for tax suffered in foreign branches.
  4. Tax credits available for research and development activity.
  5. Dividend withholding tax exemption for payments to certain entities.
  6. Tax exemption for start-up companies.
  7. Extensive tax treaty network.
  8. Capital Gains Tax participation exemption on disposal of qualifying shareholdings
  9. Varied limit Transfer Pricing rules
  10. Pro-business location

For more information on how to go about setting up a presence in Ireland take a look at the Nathan Trust website.