This is the story of how a small island on the edge of Europe became one of the world’s major tax havens. From global corporations such as Apple and Google, to investment bankers and mainstream politicians, those taking advantage of Ireland’s pro-business tax laws and shadow banking system have amassed untold riches at enormous social cost to ordinary people at home and abroad.

Tax Haven Ireland uncovers the central players in this process and exposes the coverups employed by the Irish state, with the help of accountants, lawyers, and financial services companies. From the lucrative internet porn industry to corruption in the property market, this issue distorts the economy across the state and in the wider international system, and its history runs deep, going back the country’s origins as a British colonial outpost.

Today, in the wake of Brexit and in the shadow of yet another economic crash, what can be done to prevent such dangerous behaviour and reorganize our economies to invest in the people? Can Ireland – and all of us – build an alternative economy based on fairness and democratic values?

Brian O’Boyle lectures in economics at St Angela College, National University of Ireland, Galway. He has published widely on the global economy and is the co-author of Austerity Ireland (Pluto 2013).

Kieran Allen is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at University College Dublin. His books include 1916: Ireland's Revolutionary Tradition (2016) and The Politics of James Connolly (2016).

'Excellent insights and analysis showing how corporations and the rich are addicted to tax avoidance to the detriment of normal people. Informative and enjoyable to read'
Prem Sikka, Professor of Accountancy at the University of Sheffield
 

'An important book - it exposes industrial scale tax avoidance being organised by the Irish elites and enjoyed by the world's major corporations. It blends detailed research with impressive insight. It deserves a wide readership'
Richard Boyd Barrett: Member of Irish parliament for People Before Profit

'An important book that deserves a wide readership. The claims that Ireland is a tax haven have been growing over recent years. This book adds important evidence to the claim and makes a passionate call for a more equal society'
Professor Eoin Reeves, Head of the Department of Economics, University of Limerick, Ireland