I don’t rate business rates

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a business in possession of a premises must be in want of customers and an extra few bills to pay. Every property in the land pays rates of some description, which is fair enough because there are a lot of things to pay for! Except…we still have to pay for lots of other things that the average household gets included in their lot. I can’ t necessarily speak for industries other than my …

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Corporation Tax: Picking The Wrong Fight

You might notice from time to time that Foster, DETI, OFMDFM et al. have a penchant for announcing jobs…except they tend to announce a certain kind of job; big jobs, high paying jobs, important jobs, graduate jobs. It’s tough to picture the big wigs rolling down the hill to announce a greengrocers expansion or for the opening of a pub (although perhaps that’s another matter entirely). The digital media, financial and media jobs are without a doubt greater net contributors …

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Is This What A United Ireland Would Be?

[Originally posted on my own site, but I thought given the…interest shown yesterday in my status as pro union, that the sluggerverse might get a kick out of this…]   I regularly wonder what “a united ireland” would be. Many people call for it, but would the reality be what they expected? Very few people indeed are alive today that remember a united ireland… and the world of 2014 is far removed from the world of 1916…So what would happen? …

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Och, C’mon in Gerry, what a beautiful big horse y’have there.

Belfast Barman is the first person we’ve published in response to our call for Unionist bloggers. He has an interesting and cautionary tale to share. There will be others to follow. I awoke this morning to a better understanding of my own political leanings, and for that Gerry Adams, I thank you. I was raised unionist in the same Braniel estate that Michael Stone hails from, I spent my childhood braining myself with mis-caught union jack batons bought for 50p …

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