The tax system in Ireland has a central role to play in encouraging entrepreneurship. To encourage enterprise any tax relief must be easy to access and have an upfront benefit. This is one of many points we make in the CCAB-I submission to the Department of Finance consultation.

Other points we make in the CCAB-I submission include:

• More resources should be made available to Revenue to man the phone lines for self-assessed taxpayers and thereby assist them in their efforts to fulfil their tax obligations.
• The lower rate of employers PRSI which was in place until 31 December 2013 was a genuine benefit for entrepreneurs and it should be reintroduced to further support the entrepreneur sector.
• If the government genuinely wishes to assist entrepreneurs, then the obvious discrimination in the tax system against self-employed taxpayers needs to be addressed.
• Tax relief should take the form of a tax credit for capital introduced by an entrepreneur to a new start-up business.
• While a CGT relief aimed at owners (section 597A TCA 1997) is worthwhile, a separate CGT relief to encourage investors should also be considered.
• The inflexibility of the three year corporation tax relief for start-up companies, as it currently stands, makes it redundant as a means of supporting enterprise.
• The EIIS and SURE should allow for investment by way of loan to facilitate the long term development of the business and involvement of the entrepreneur.
• Professional service companies are equally capable of providing job opportunities but are excluded from the EIIS/SURE.
• The simple step of removing the close company surcharge would place service companies on an equal footing with other trading companies and give such companies the same opportunities to expand and grow.

You can read the CCAB-I submission here.