Remember the special savings incentive account (SSIA) scheme?
The economic boom was getting so boomy at the turn of the century that the Government actually wanted people to put their money away for a few years. And with a 25 per cent guaranteed return on offer, boy did we do that.
Many of the SSIAs matured just in time for the boomiest moment of the Celtic Tiger – in advance of the 2007 general election – and went down in boom folklore as the cash exploded all over the place.
Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris might not be proposing such an enticing investment opportunity for ordinary Joe Soaps these days – indeed that idea has been very firmly rejected – but he has said the Government is looking at ways of giving Irish savers a tastier return than the measly ones on offer from the banks.
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With the domestic financial sector calling for an Irish savings and investment union, Harris told RTÉ yesterday that plans were being considered for the famous “squeezed middle” that would allow them to enjoy some tax relief on their investment returns.
If they are lucky, and so inclined, they could perhaps spend some of that tax-free moolah on a nice handbag.
Failed presidential candidate Maria Steen has again been talking about the one she sported during her final public appearance of the nominations race last year. The good news is the gift from her husband apparently wasn’t nearly as expensive as some people thought.
The US president isn’t the sort of man who looks a gift horse in the mouth – and was the proud recipient of a personalised golf set during last year’s St Patrick’s Day events in Washington, DC.
The Taoiseach presented Donald Trump with a custom golf tee and marker set in a personalised wooden box while he was in town last March.
It was among 140 official gifts dished out to world leaders and luminaries last year.
Trump, a famous non-drinker, missed out on some of the finest whiskeys on offer. They instead went to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The embattled leader received a bottle of Green Spot last February – and a 12-year-old Redbreast in December.
While tentative peace talks continue with regard to Ukraine, Thursday will bring a meeting of Trump’s “Board of Peace”.
With members due to gather at the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace, the US president says $5 billion will be pledged there by board members in support of the reconstruction of Gaza.
At home, the focus this week remains on how to handle the upcoming Uefa Nations League fixtures between Ireland and Israel, which are scheduled for September and October.
Senior Government figures have suggested Ireland’s home fixture is likely to take place at a neutral venue – potentially avoiding all manner of political and security headaches.
This follows Harris’s comments yesterday that Ireland needed to “decouple” political positions on Gaza from the decisions being made by sporting organisations.
In line with that, the sources suggest, where the fixture takes place is still a call for the FAI to make.
Trump’s Euro-horse whisperer Marco Rubio is still knocking about after his appearance at the Munich Security Cconference last week.
He can expect a warm welcome in Hungary today when he meets its leader, Viktor Orban, in Budapest – in contrast to the rather sniffy one he got from some in Germany. They weren’t entirely impressed with the reheated accusations of “wokeism” and general decadence.
In a response to Rubio, European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reassured EU citizens that “Europe is not facing civilisational erasure”.
A positive thought as the week kicks off.
