2008
Press Release
5 May 2008
Promoting a Yes Vote - communication tools for business
There are two concise documents available to circulate to business colleagues and associates, encapsulating the business case for a Yes vote:
(1) Leaflet "Business says Yes to the Lisbon Treaty"
(2) Opinion piece by Mr. Martin Naughton, Chairman and owner
of the Glen Dimplex Group, launching the Business Alliance
Exports will Suffer if we vote No on the Lisbon Agreement
At the launch of the Business Alliance for Europe, today 5 May 2008, John Whelan, Chief Executive of the Irish Exporters Association, stated;
“The success of Irish exporting over the past few decades has primarily been based on US multinationals locating in Ireland to supply Europe. The key consideration in investing here was the single market access to the key countries in Europe who were members of the EU. The low taxation base in Ireland was a secondary consideration’’
Mr Whelan emphatically stated;
“The strategy worked very well for Ireland, exports to the EU countries has increased from the 839 million euro when we joined in 1973, to 56 billion euro
last year.”
“A No vote “he went on to say “to the Lisbon Agreement Reform Treaty in June would have the effect of unravelling the hard work of exporters over the past decades, would turn away prospective new business investors in Ireland, and bring further uncertainty into our current manufacturing export sector. We are living in a country that has an extraordinary reliance of international trade, with 85% of everything we produce being exported - the majority of this going to the EU.”
On the question of the potential threat to our taxation status if we vote yes, John Whelan has this to say;
“Exporters large and small are in no doubt that the Treaty reconfirms our existing tax status and prevents any change to our corporation tax status without the approval of the Irish government. If anything, the Treaty further strengthens the validity of our current valuable low tax status. ‘’
On the other much questioned issue of the new voting status within the EU that the Treaty will introduce; the Irish Exporters Association’s Chief Executive had this to say;
“Any businessperson fully understands that managing a business with 9 subsidiaries, as was the case when we joined the EU in 1973, is different from managing the 27 member states in the EU now. New structures must be brought into play to efficiently and effectively to manage the larger empire. The Treaty terms is this regard are merely much overdue upgrades to the management process.’’
END
For further information, contact;
John Whelan, Irish Exporters Association
Tel: + 353 1 661 2182
Mob: 087 9271243
Email: iea@irishexporters.org
Orla Sweeney, Irish Exporters Association
Tel: + 353 1 661 2182
Mob: 087 827 2094
Email: mailto:iea@irishexporters.org
About The Business Alliance for Europe
The Business Alliance for Europe is a pillar of the Irish Alliance for Europe, an umbrella organisation which supports a YES vote for the Lisbon Reform Treaty.
Over 30 leading business organizations are members of the Business Alliance and are strongly campaigning for a YES vote.
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