India is one of the world’s burgeoning economies, with the International Monetary Fund predicting India’s economic growth to advance to 6.5% in 2010, on the back of robust domestic demand and rising private investment. Ireland is a net beneficiary for investment by Indian companies into the European marketplace.
Investment into Ireland
Ireland is an attractive location for Indian companies seeking to access the European marketplace, primarily for 3 reasons:
- Tax
- Talent
- Gateway to Europe
Tax
Ireland has a business-friendly, common law, corporate tax system, which is in line with OECD norms. Its low corporate tax rate of 12.5% on trading profits provides the basis for companies to structure trading and holding company operations in Ireland.
Ireland also has a very beneficial Intellectual Property (“IP”) regime, which facilitates the application of the 12.5% corporate tax rate to profits from the exploitation of IP in Ireland. Furthermore, to help develop and sustain the Irish knowledge based economy, and to encourage companies which develop, own and exploit their IP from an Irish base, capital allowances are available for capital expenditure incurred on the creation and acquisition of “specified intangible assets”, including the acquisition of IP.
Ireland is actively attracting Research and Development (“R&D”) activity, due to an attractive R&D regime, which provides for a 25% R&D tax credit for expenditure above a base year (2003) (in addition to the normal corporation tax deduction for expenses incurred during the course of a trade, thus giving an effective 37.5% rate for R&D expenditure). For start-ups post 2003, the base year expenditure would usually be zero. Additionally, where it is unlikely that the start-up company would have taxable profits, the R&D credit can be carried forward indefinitely.
Building the stock of knowledge and know-how in the economy is critical to Ireland’s future economic development. Ireland has already laid the foundations of the "Ideas Economy" by investing heavily in education and skills training and is well equipped with a highly educated workforce. The R&D and IP credits are an important part of the Irish Government’s tax policy to further promote Ireland as an open entrepreneurial economy with the means of converting research, development and innovation into commercialised products and services. This will provide a major driver of Ireland’s future prosperity and firmly establish Ireland’s position as a "Smart Economy".
Talent
Ireland boasts a young, hi-tech, skilled and English-speaking workforce. Ireland also remains a vibrant and attractive place for younger workers within the EU, ensuring the pool of talent for investing companies is deep. Ireland is positioning itself as a “Smart economy” and given the problem-solving skills and creative and innovative thinking of its workforce, this will be achieved.
Gateway to Europe
One of Ireland's key strengths and biggest opportunities is Europe. Global corporations based in Ireland can effectively reach Europe's 600 million consumers with excellent goods and services developed and built in Ireland by Irish workers.
William Fry is a member of the Ireland India Business Association (“IIBA”), and one of our partners, David Carty, is Chairman of the IIBA. William Fry is active in promoting and creating trade and commerce links between our two countries.
Our Indian based clients include:
Wockhardt / Pinewood Healthcare
Continuous Computing
Patni Computer Systems