Hotels group says perception of Ireland at stake if treaty not passed

HOTELS FEDERATION:THE IRISH Hotels Federation said yesterday the perception of Ireland was at stake as it called for a Yes vote in the referendum.

Noting that some 60,000 people are employed by hotels, the federation called on its 1,000 members to urge their employees to vote for the Lisbon Treaty “in recognition of the importance of an effective and efficient Europe to the hospitality sector, and to ensure Ireland remains fully engaged with the EU”.

Praising the role of the EU, federation president Matthew Ryan said: “No industry better represents what EU membership has done for Ireland than the hotels sector, which is staffed largely by Irish and EU citizens.

“It is important that Ireland’s positive support of the development of the EU continues. Anything other than a decisive Yes in the referendum would undermine the international perception of Ireland as a desirable place to visit and in which to do business.”

Mr Ryan said a Yes result would confirm Irish people’s reputation as having an “open, friendly and welcoming attitude” in the eyes of the other 26 member states.

He noted that in the past 10 years, Ireland had seen revenue from continental European tourists almost treble to €1.6 billion.

The federation said increased tourism revenues of €6.5 billion in 2007 meant the sector now constituted 4 per cent of the State’s GNP.

It argued that “the strengthened and reformed institutions” arising from the treaty would allow the EU to achieve greater prosperity and face the challenges of development and enlargement.

In a separate development last night, the head of an organisation campaigning for a Yes vote criticised “lies” and “myths” being generated by the No campaign.

Irish Alliance for Europe director Brendan Kiely said the treaty was about making the EU more efficient and effective so that it could deal with the challenges of the 21st century.

“We are told by Libertas, and also Sinn Féin in a new concern for our low corporate tax rate, that under Article 113 of the treaty the European Court of Justice will be empowered to overrule our low tax rates because they are a ‘distortion of competition’. This is manifestly false.

“Firstly it is clear that this article requires all the member states to agree to any actions under it, thereby confirming the Irish veto in this area. More importantly, it clearly refers to indirect taxation and has nothing to do with corporation taxes whatsoever,” he added.

Mr Kiely said that as taxation was a power reserved to the member states, the European Court of Justice could have no role to rule on a country’s tax rates in any area.

He was speaking at a meeting in Athlone, Co Westmeath, organised by the Business Alliance, which is a pillar of the Irish Alliance for Europe.