> You call other countries who don't want to import the crappy, unfriendly business climate of countries like France or Italy (where I live) "parasites".
You are taking this the wrong way. It's not that Ireland does not want to import corporate tax from France and Italy, it is that they substantially lowered it, expressly to take advantage of the other EU countries.
You can also see that I didn't advocate higher taxes for Ireland or lower taxes for the rest of EU, since it doesn't actually matter as long as they are the same in all EU.
> It's not that Ireland does not want to import corporate tax from France and Italy, it is that they substantially lowered it, expressly to take advantage of the other EU countries.
Good. That's called competition. They want to attract companies to their country. There are plenty of things Ireland can't compete on, like having a decent climate (IMO), so they do what they can.
> You can also see that I didn't advocate higher taxes for Ireland or lower taxes for the rest of EU, since it doesn't actually matter as long as they are the same in all EU.
Then why doesn't France lower theirs? "Harmonization" is just a way of saying "they should raise their taxes".
I believe competition has no place, or should have no place, between EU countries. But that's my personnal opinion, which seems less and less shared accross Europe.
> Then why doesn't France lower theirs? "Harmonization" is just a way of saying "they should raise their taxes".
Huh, I'm not part of the Ministry of Finance, so I don't think I have to justify myself for France not lowering their taxes, but it's probably because France is more dependant now on corporate tax than Ireland was when they decided to lower them (France still has some kind of industry, while Ireland didn't then). It's not up to France (or Ireland) alone to make a decision to have the same taxes all accross EU anyway.
Harmonization means levelling taxes accross the EU, I didn't say a single word on how they should be raised. You are reading way too much in my words.
Edit: formatting (and the bit about how the EU is more than just France+Ireland).
> I believe competition has no place, or should have no place, between EU countries.
Wow.
How would you harmonize the weather between, say, Ireland and Sicily so that people wouldn't be attracted to the better weather down south?
No competition is unrealistic and unhealthy. Competition, within limits, makes people/countries/businesses/whatever improve.
It doesn't necessarily lead to a "race to the bottom". Look at California in the US, which is not the best state to do business in, with the lowest taxes. It still does pretty well, though.
> France still has some kind of industry, while Ireland didn't then
That doesn't sound fair. Did France offer to send its industries to Ireland to help out, and avoid competing?
You are taking this the wrong way. It's not that Ireland does not want to import corporate tax from France and Italy, it is that they substantially lowered it, expressly to take advantage of the other EU countries.
You can also see that I didn't advocate higher taxes for Ireland or lower taxes for the rest of EU, since it doesn't actually matter as long as they are the same in all EU.