IMF Staff Country Report-Ireland: Selected Issues

December 18, 2023--A. Savings Funds in Ireland
Evolution of Public Finances
1. Sound fiscal policies have contributed to healthy public finances and put Ireland in a good position to weather shocks. The solid fiscal position of recent years has enabled the authorities to conduct countercyclical fiscal policy in the face of the Covid and energy price shocks and contributed to a fast decline in public debt.

Ireland’s path of primary surpluses, except for during the GFC, is not out of line with that in some peer countries. Some countries, like Korea and New Zealand, have also established sovereign wealth funds (SWF).

2. Ireland's healthy fiscal position has been supported in recent years by a fast increase in CIT revenues, which have grown beyond what would be implied by economic fundamentals. Ireland's share of CIT in total revenue (almost 1/3) is much larger than the average of European countries in the OECD (about 6 percent) and CIT has become the second largest source of tax revenues. While

ESAs warn of risks from economic and geopolitical events

September 10, 2024--The three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA-ESAs) today issued their Autumn 2024 Joint Committee Report on risks and vulnerabilities in the EU financial system. The Report underlines ongoing high economic and geopolitical uncertainties.