Ireland

The island of Ireland is situated in Northwest Europe and is approximately 20 kilometres from Great Britain at its nearest point. The total area of the island is 84,421 square kilometres of which Northern Ireland (politically part of the United Kingdom) comprises 14,139 square kilometres; the remainder constitutes an independent parliamentary democracy called Ireland. Ireland has a population of approximately 5 million people, with the greatest concentration being on the east and south coasts. The capital of Ireland is Dublin. Its official languages are Irish and English. Business is conducted in English, and the currency is the euro (EUR).

Ireland is a parliamentary democracy. The basic law of the country is contained in the Constitution of Ireland, which was adopted in 1937 and amended on a number of occasions since then by public referenda. The Constitution sets out the fundamental rights of the citizen, the form of government, and the powers of the government. It also defines the system of courts and regulates the appointment of the judiciary. The national parliament consists of the president and two houses: a house of representatives (Dáil Éireann) and a senate (Seanad Éireann). The President is Head of State only and does not have executive functions. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister (Taoiseach) and the cabinet, while the power of making laws rests with parliament.

The political environment in Ireland is stable and has been dominated by parties of a centre or a centre right persuasion over recent decades. Ireland is a member of the European Union (EU) and is also a member of most major international organisations but retains a neutral stance on military matters.

Government economic policies are directed towards the creation of a stable economic environment that is supportive of the needs of business.

Over the last four decades, Ireland has continually invested and reinvested to meet the requirements of a growing and sophisticated international business sector. Today, Ireland is one of the most favoured locations for investment in Europe. Ireland was ranked seventh in the world for competitiveness, and second when compared to other countries in the eurozone, according to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2025. Ireland is ranked the second most peaceful country in the world according to the 2025 Global Peace Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace and ranked as the largest exporter of digital services in the European Union and third in the world in 2024 according to the World Trade Organisation. These rankings show that companies are looking at structural factors, such as a favourable business environment, transportation/infrastructure, talent/skills availability, and cluster/sector strengths, when deciding where to invest rather than cyclical phenomena, such as short-term economic growth prospects or fiscal deficits. Ireland as a good location to do business is further displayed by the number of people directly employed by foreign direct investment (FDI) businesses in Ireland, which reached 312,400 persons in 2025 (accounting for approximately 11% of national employment). Ireland has welcomed investment from a wide range of business sectors, including electronics and engineering, pharmaceuticals and healthcare products, technology and computer software, financial services, and a range of internationally traded services. In 2025, Ireland won 323 new investments, which was up 14% from 2024 and is expected to create 15,300 jobs in the coming years. Ireland also has one of Europe’s most comprehensive legal frameworks for the protection of intellectual property (IP) rights.

The continued success of Ireland as an investment location has been founded on the positive approach of successive Irish governments to the development of businesses. This approach has ensured a favourable tax environment, competitive operating costs, a productive, well-educated, and flexible workforce, and a well-developed infrastructure with world-class support services.

Furthermore, the Irish government has started to focus more on 'green' thinking and a more sustainable environment. The Climate Action Plan 2025 is the third annual update to be prepared under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. The plan implements the carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings and sets a roadmap for taking decisive action to halve Ireland’s emissions by 2030 and reach net zero no later than 2050, as committed to by Ireland in the Programme for Government.

The Climate Action Plan 2025 aims to further enhance Ireland's commitment to renewable energy and emission reduction. Building upon previous successes, the plan targets significant advancements in offshore and onshore renewable energy capacities, with a target of achieving at least 5 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030. The plan also emphasises increasing the renewable electricity share to 80% by 2030. Moreover, it includes measures to improve energy efficiency across sectors and strengthen green budgeting policies which align with the EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities. This comprehensive approach underlines Ireland's leadership in climate action, and given this momentum towards a greener economy, it is highly likely that new tax measures will be introduced to further support these goals. 

PwC Ireland

PwC is the largest professional services firm in Ireland. We have over 3,000 professionals in seven locations, which are Dublin, Cork, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Waterford, and Wexford.

PwC Ireland provides assurance, tax, and advisory services across all industries. As Ireland's leading tax practice, with over 650 tax professionals around the country, PwC Ireland offers a broad range of tax services, including business taxation, transactions, transfer pricing, international tax structuring, value-added tax (VAT), customs, relevant contracts tax (RCT), tax management, tax compliance, research and development (R&D) tax relief, personal tax advisory and compliance, human resource tax services, tax technology and transformation services, tax risk and controversy services, and tax policy services.