Skip to main content

About us       Join a union       Contact     

  • X
  • youtube
Home
  • Our Work
    • BAME Workers
    • Conferences
      • Motions
    • Congress Youth
    • Education
    • Equality
    • Health and Safety
    • Union learn
      • The ICTU Learning Hub
  • What Unions Do
    • Why Join a Union?
    • Find a union for you
    • Browse our unions
      • Associate members
      • Trade councils
    • About us
  • News
    • Union jobs
  • Courses & Events
    • Upcoming courses
    • Upcoming seminars & webinars
    • All events
    • Courses directory
  • Publications
  • Conference

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Publications
  3. Pot of Gold or Fool’s Gold?

Pot of Gold or Fool’s Gold?

November 24, 2025
Cover image for Corp Tax Doc
24 Nov, 2025
Download Publication (pdf)

Originally published 2011

We live in an era of tremendous social and economic change and opportunity, with the economic crisis effecting every home, office
and business. Times like this should inspire new and original thought about how we can craft an economy which serves society, rather than the other way around. Unfortunately, powerful and vested interests in Northern Ireland seem stuck in a groove, like a scratched vinyl record. Their solution to the underperformance of the Northern Ireland economy is simple – cut Corporation
Tax and investment will flow into our private sector and this will remove our dependence upon the public sector.
 

This is a blunderbuss approach to a complex matter. Congress has argued for many years that this is too simple. It does not take into account many of the underlying problems with the balance of our economy, such as the fact that the public sector is not too large, rather it is the private sector which is too small, and is largely comprised of small businesses, most of which pay the lower rate of
Corporation Tax, and would benefit little from cutting it

Publication type
Report
Tags
Economy
Government
Private sector
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in

Latest

skills blackboard
Unions call to reverse threatened reductions in skills funding
03 Jul, 2026 | News
Northern Ireland Stormont NI Assembly
MLAs take holidays with unfinished business
02 Jul, 2026 | News
Northern Ireland Stormont NI Assembly
NIC-ICTU: Unions condemn deepening Irish Sea Border for workers' rights.
26 Jun, 2026 | News
G Murphy @ Sodexo strike
Sodexo Strike at NIO and HMRC offices
16 Jun, 2026 | News
Rally pic
Business lobby exercises its unreasonable and unaccountable veto over popular Good Jobs Bill.
15 Jun, 2026 | News
Typewriter
NIC-ICTU Trade Unions call for calm
10 Jun, 2026 | News

Congress logo white

Privacy policy

We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We also use analytics cookies that don't track users to help us improve it.

See our Privacy Statement & Cookie Policy.

Read our Education Privacy Statement and Code of Conduct for Meetings, Events and Courses.

Follow us

  • X
  • youtube

Irish Congress of Trade Unions NIC

Northern Ireland Committee
Irish Congress of Trades Unions
45-47 Donegall Street
Belfast BT1 2FG, Northern Ireland
Tel: 02890 247940
Fax: 02890 247940
Email: [email protected]

Copyright ©, Irish Congress of Trade Unions NIC, 2024. Website by Infobo.

Footer

  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies
Home
ICTU NIC
  • Our Work
    • BAME Workers
    • Conferences
      • Motions
    • Congress Youth
    • Education
    • Equality
    • Health and Safety
    • Union learn
      • The ICTU Learning Hub
  • What Unions Do
    • Why Join a Union?
    • Find a union for you
    • Browse our unions
      • Associate members
      • Trade councils
    • About us
  • News
    • Union jobs
  • Courses & Events
    • Upcoming courses
    • Upcoming seminars & webinars
    • All events
    • Courses directory
  • Publications
  • Conference
Clear keys input element