Biden is seeking a global corporate tax rate

Ireland’s Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe tells FRANCE 24 his government wants to find an agreement on a global corporate tax rate, an initiative spearheaded by US President Joe Biden. Earlier this week, he had said that Ireland would oppose much of the European Commission’s plan for a more unified corporate tax regime across the EU. “I would make the case that tax competition – but within certain boundaries – is part of how smaller and medium-sized countries can be competitive,” the minister explained.

Meanwhile, after a devastating cyberattack on Ireland’s public health system, Paschal Donohoe referred to the incident as “a huge challenge” and predicted that it will take “a number of weeks” before health services are running as normal again. The minister also stated that the Irish government is “not aware” of any of the health data being sold and that it “will not pay any ransom”.