Tax and welfare recommendations, changing accounts and a nest egg for your children

The Commission on Taxation and Welfare has recommended higher and more extensive property taxes, the introduction of a separate site value tax and the imposition of congestion charges on city centre motorists as ways of funding increased spending on public services in the future. Eoin Burke-Kennedy has the details.

The Republic’s remaining three retail banks have reported 222,000 personal current account openings so far this year, as activity ratchets up in advance of the exits of Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland from the market. Joe Brennan reports.

With ever-rising house prices, first-time buyers need a down payment of between about €15,000 and €50,000 depending on where they are in the State. Add on the high cost of living — not to mind rents — and it’s clear that many young people will struggle to get this kind of money together, writes Fiona Reddan. Step forward then, where possible, the “bank of mum and dad” to help offspring make their way in the world.

Dublin Airport is seeking a further boost to passenger charges levied on airlines as its copes with the cost of this summer’s air travel surge. Barry O’Halloran has the details.

Knife by Salman Rushdie review: living to tell the tale of being saved by love

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Bond villain’s west of Ireland retreat for €285,000

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Have your say: Are you consuming less alcohol in pubs and more at home?

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Is Ireland a sleepy back door providing China with access to global DNA banks?

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Business confidence in the Irish services sector dropped further last month weighed down by inflation concerns and geopolitical instability linked to the war in Ukraine, according to AIB’s latest PMI survey data. Colin Gleeson reports.

Bernice Harrison wonders whether the advertising watchdog should have more bite?

Global insurance broker Lockton’s Irish operation has struck its third deal since the start of the year by agreeing to buy corporate pension advisory company Burke Pension & Financial Services for an undisclosed sum, writes Joe Brennan.

I am 54 with a reasonably good job. My mortgage was €400,000 with PTSB back in 2007 and the crash came. They sold my non-performing loan to Pepper and a deal was made. I’m now paying €750.00 per month and doing so for the last four years or so. However, when the final payment falls due in 12 years’ time, they will request that I pay €197,000 to clear the loan in full or else surrender the house. This is very worrying for me, as I’m sure you can imagine. I do not have any assets as such, just a few bob in the bank and a very small pension. Is there anything I can start to do now to try to avoid such occurring? Dominic Coyle tackles your personal finance queries.

The Irish electricity sector can only meet ambitious Government carbon emissions targets by 2030 provided there is “a complete transformation of the planning system and grid policies”, according to a Wind Energy Ireland report. Kevin O’Sullivan reports.

Cantillon finds that with turmoil reigning across globally equity markets, you’d be hard pressed to find a corner of the market where sentiment has turned as dramatically as for special purpose acquisition companies or Spacs.

Our resident sage also finds there’s a fundamental dishonesty at the heart of Irish political discourse over State pensions policy.

In the latest episode of the Inside Business podcast, Irish Times Economics Correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy sheds some light on the differences in the two reports, while Marian Finnegan of Sherry FitzGerald has the estate agents view. Plus: the European Central Bank is expecting to hike its interest rates from next month, with further increases anticipated as the year rolls on. Cliff Taylor explains what effect those hikes might have on house buying over the next 12 months.

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