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A packed podcast:

It may be the ultimate social faux pas, but dare we say the latest Revenue annual report contains a wealth of fascinating data?

Back taxes owed by SMEs could be - maybe are - a real problem

Short-termism: anyone wondering why some companies and countries don't inest enough in themselves need look no further than META's (Facebook) results this week. The shares tanked because the tech giant announced a huge capital spending program (mostly in AI). Financial markets want one thing only: instant gratification. That translates as "show us the cash". Dividends, share buybacks and increases in revenues are the golden trifecta that leads to higher share prices. But investment means spending cash. That's the big no-no. The paradox, of course, is that the only thing that leads to long-term growth in dividends, share buybacks and revenues is investment. Companies and countries that stint on investment don't grow. You couldn't make it up.

If (hopefully a big if) another European war is on the way, is being a member of the EU and remaining neutral mutually inconsistent?

And all the latest data!

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The Irish government has released its latest assessment of where the economy is heading. It looks like. a forlorn attempt to dampen expectations ahead of another giveaway budget in a few months time. The last before the general election.

The golden goose will someday stop laying its eggs. What will future generations think of us, what we did the largesses generously donated by the multinational tax boom? Will we be 'grateful Norwegians', now rich because they saved their windfall taxes (from oil). Or will we resemble the 'morose British' who blew all their windfall oil taxes on what?

Is there much more capacity for extra housebuilding than is conventionally thought?

Will house prices ever fall to 'affordable' levels, even with extra supply. Or were houses just 'the wrong price' a generation ago?

Chris takes the other side of the IMF forecast bets: we are approaching peak short term growth optimism and the IMF is way too pessimistic about the medium term

At least Ireland has a fiscal debate grounded in arithmetic. The UK's fiscal conversation is total hokum.

And all the latest economic data

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.