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DURING CHRISTMAS, WE had friends visit us from Philadelphia, a bustling metropolis of over six million people. We showed them around Galway City, a place we hold dear. Calling it a ‘city’ seemed a stretch for them, they struggled to see it as anything other than a large town. (They loved it, by the way.)
Galway might be a large town in global terms, but we take pride in calling it a city. It spans about 10 km, is mostly flat, and is home to 85,000 people. 64,000 people live within a 20-minute bike ride from Eyre Square, the heart of the city. Yet it’s now ranked as the 56th most congested place in the Inrix Global Traffic Scoreboard, which ranks 900 cities worldwide.
Inrix, an entity that specialises in analysing transport mobility in cities, also ranks Galway as ninth in Europe for traffic delay times. How have we allowed our small city to become so difficult to navigate, and why are we doing nothing to fix it?
What if I told you that we could fix it but have decided not to, until such time as we build a new one billion euro road around Galway? Planning for this road began over 25 years ago, in the last century. What if I also told you that a High Court judgment handed down last week in relation to wind farms effectively spells the end of the Galway Ring Road project by stating that planners must comply with climate law for large capital projects?
Let’s start with a little background on the Galway Ring Road. An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for the project in 2021. That decision was overturned by the High Court in 2023, primarily because the applicant, Galway County Council, failed to comply with Section 15 of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act.
Section 15 isn’t complicated. It simply says that an applicant must have regard to “the objective of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change in the State”. Galway County Council, in making its planning application, told An Bord Pleanála that if the ring road is built we will see an increase in greenhouse gas emissions by 37%, with a mere 5% of daily commuters using public transport. That High Court decision obliged the Council to revisit their plans, and they recently submitted new documentation to An Bord Pleanála, in a final effort to secure planning permission.
Last week, the High Court overturned yet another decision of An Bord Pleanála, this time for a wind farm in Co. Laois. An Bord Pleanála had refused permission for the wind farm, but Justice Richard Humphreys slated that decision, again citing Section 15 of the same act. He accused An Bord Pleanála of an “unwillingness to face new realities”. He went on to say that “an immediate end to business as usual is a precondition for planetary survival.”
This judgment has far-reaching implications for our country as a whole and should cause us to engage in some deep reflection. Incidentally, it’s exactly the outcome envisaged by our legislators when the Dáil voted almost unanimously for the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act in 2021. The Act is designed to prompt a move away from business as usual and compel thorough assessment of climate implications in all planning decisions.
Furthermore, a recent report from the Fiscal Advisory Council tells us that we face up to €20 billion in fines if we fail to achieve major reductions in carbon emissions by 2030, with transport being the biggest contributor.
So where does this leave traffic-choked Galway City? In a state of self-imposed stagnation, I would argue. However, we do have choices available to us, and we should be honest in making them sooner rather than later.
When a High Court judge tells us that it’s the end of business as usual, well then, it is. When a local authority has spent 25 years and over €35m on a road project, with absolutely nothing to show for it, is that not the very definition of an unwillingness to face new realities?
So here’s my plea to our incoming government. Please abandon the concept of a Galway Ring Road. It’s last-century thinking. Instead, spend a billion euros on building transformative public transport and active travel infrastructure across our small city.
You’ll have change, in every sense of the word.
Ciarán Cannon is a former Minister of State in Education and Foreign Affairs.
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Depends who you consider to be an artist. This conversation was on the radio before- it mentioned people like Rosanna Davidson and Ryan Tubridy also claiming themselves artists under this.
@Amy Bernadette Drew: Seriously?
@Amy Bernadette Drew: I’m a pissartist, can I claim?
@Amy Bernadette Drew: they claimed the exemption on money from books they wrote nothing else. You make it sound like they got it for something else
@Kal Ipers: I have no problem with struggling Irish artists and members of the various arts schemes within the arts council availing of this, however celebrities and politicians claiming it for tell all autobiographies and models claiming it for taking off their clothes is undermining the real artists out there.
@Amy Bernadette Drew: It’s an allowance available to anyone who satisfies the criteria, like childrens allowance. Millionaires and homeless both get it.
@Kal Ipers: so a book on eating raw veg to look ” beautiful” is a work of art? Are we afraid we’d lose Rosanna to the Paris art scene if we don’t give her a tax break? . Well a least she will still have all the slot jockey & poker machine cash she and the hubby can count while “sharing” photos from their Maldives getaways . Real value for money they are for the tax payer !!
@Amy Bernadette Drew: Anyone can describe themselves as an artist.
I had thought that this scheme(scam) had been aabolished some years ago.
The vast majority of artists have a second income that they pay tax on and earn pittance from their art. For writers it’s something like 5% make a living wage. Musicians don’t fair much better. Creating art actually costs money on time, equipment, and materials. Without the exemption some will have to stop and what we’re left with is the boyos in the picture above who know how to work the system and use it to avoid tax rather than bring their meager income up to a livable level. Perhaps if income goes beyond a certain threshold, the initial 50,000 exemption, entitlement could be removed, so only people who need it continue to get it.
@Carol Oates: exempt for the first 50g?how about no taxpayers have enough parasites siphoning their money.time to stop this farce
Or in u2′s case the first fifty million
It’s a scheme that is well known worldwide, and I believe helps Ireland have a reputation as a country of culture. From the numbers stated it’s clear they aren’t all making €50k per year. It’s tough to make a living in the arts but we can all be culturally enriched by them.
@Crom Cruach: It is a great scheme that might help struggling artists so why did the accompanying photograph Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne and Loius Walsh?
As far as I know you have to make an application for each project, it is not available all the time.
Keep in mind that if The Clonskeagh Mafia force us under sharia law not only we not have tax exemptions for artists; we simply won’t have any artists.
Sure how about jimmy the brickie,id say he would like the break too.
Is it true u2 never paid tax in ireland?
@Shelley:
No
@Shelley: they pay a lot more than you do.
@Shelley: There’s always an idiot who brings up U2.
@Reg: I was asking a question no need for name calling
@Rob Cahill: really that’s good to know
@Shelley: it’s a very stupid question.
Artists and the Horse industry should pay tax
They cheat us all.
any exemption that encourages or rewards people is worthwhile especially when it reduces the amount that the Government has to spend on a bloated public service badly managed heavily unionised hospitals and drunks/druggies taking state handouts. It is time we has a people reward hard work, enterprise and ability and relegate paper pushing and screwing the working people to the past.
I agree with your last sentence. Reward people who work hard for themselves. But why should this particular scheme be restricted to artists, and not extended to other self employed people too?
I agree about the Self Employed but being one of those people myself I was more inclined to the general screwing over that Unions and the dossers do to each of us hard working private sector people whether emploted or self employed. The CSO has again shown that the gap in favour of public sector wages is growing, yet we have people who are ready to jump on a hobby horse of an artist exemption. When are we in the private sector going to band together and fight against the excesses of public sector workers.
I think those great ‘artists’ Joe Duffy and Ryan Tubridy should continue to get artist’s exemption on their meagre RTE salaries because they wrote books.
These struggling artists need the money don’t forget.
The least the taxpayer can do is to forsake income from another tax (the license fee) in which these gentlemens ‘businesses’ are taxed at the exhorberent rate of 12.5% already.
We must acknowledge their ground breaking and fearless contribution to the world of art, and joyously forgo tax revenue.
Because they are worth it.
@John Belton: Their businesses will be taxed at 12.5% on the profits. Any income they take from their business is subject to the various income taxes just lile everyone else.
One thing I tend to agree with you on. I don’t think anyone should get the artists allowance if they have a combined income of over 100k.
@Reg: 12.5% is in effect only a rate available to large corporations. SME businesses are usually subjected to the Close Company Surcharge which means their effective tax rate is similar to income tax.
And people think small business people have of easy!!
@Donal Milmo-Penny: that closed company surcharge is only applicable if you’re a professional service provider (account, architect, solicitor)
I provide training services and I don’t pay it. The distinction lies in the fact that I don’t have to be a member of a “professional” body to provide my services.
Best piece of tax advice I’ve ever received
What price can you put on creativity ,we need to be working harder to promote the arts in ireland ,its a reflection of an immature society that does not value its own artists .most artists live hand to mouth ,yes you have that golden few that use it as a vehicle for not paying tax and they should be put under the microscope ,but our culture is enriched by people who dedicate their lives for little financial reward ,lets not throw the child out with the water .
@Anthony Gallagher: you’re talking nonsense I take it it’s in your interest to continue to bend the tax paying citizen s of this country over
For 11m a year it is worth keeping the exemption, to qualify you should have income from other sources not exceeding 50g per year i would siggest
If ever there was a need for bright fresh new artists it’s now – the digital age demands more enlightened content creators, and we can excel at it
@GrAce: so, everyone who can create a snazzy Facebook post or similar can claim to be an artist, and not pay tax?
@Jumperoo: the tax break is specifically on sales of their work. As in the case of a musician it might be the sale of an album. They still pay tax on all other earnings, just like anyone else.
Bean counters know the price of everything and the value of nothing. The truth is and I say this from experience no Artist goes into the Arts to earn a living from it because there is know living to be made from it. As an Artist you will find that out very quickly becoming very disillusioned and starving in the process. The Artist tax exemption was set up to encourage Artistic talented individuals to take up a career in the Arts and try and make it financially viable to do so. But since it was set up the Artist tax exemption has been abused by retireed politicians, sports stars and others who are not genuine Artists in the true meaning of the word and this is the part that needs to be changed and most Artists including myself would agree with that !!..
are con-artists exempt .
Bertie Ahern. Artist. Says it all.
But aren’t they not using the DUTCH SANDWICH in order not to pay tax here anyway???
@Alois Irlmaier: Amazing sentence.
Works out at an average cost of €3,800 per person using the exemption. Doesn’t seem excessive with that figure. Might just need to be looked at ensuring that only valid people who are full time artists etc are using it.
you pick your career you deal with the wages and tax for that career simple should be no tax exemptions for anyone its called equality
I painted the bathroom yesterday, can I become tax exempt?
Let the rich get richer, ridiculous.
@Trevor Hayden: Apply and see…
Just for young artists, and then for 5 years . Not as a tax scam for the foreign and the rich irish.
.
A common sense global earnings cap would surely make sense here? If you’ve earned an average of over 50,000 per annum for the last three years (pro rata for new artists) then you pay tax. Wouldn’t be hard to work out.
All of a sudden I can feel my artistic streak beginning to emerge. My mother allways said that I was going places, but I never expected it was the shed out back that she was talking about
Is Conor Mcgregor to be considered an artist……
If you can’t make a living at it then it’s a hobby. Everyone should pay tax on the same basis so not only should the artists exemption go but the special deal for professional sports people should go too. They use the roads and the health service don’t they? Maybe if they had to relate more to the rest of us they would produce more work that we could relate to.
Talk about setting up a biased poll! Oh and surprise, surprise the results are for shutting down the scheme. Ok so they need to shut some loopholes, but all artists i know, including myself, barely make a living from art AND a 2nd income source.
Creativity is the way i share my soul with the world – Brene Brown
The first €50k is exempt from tax , what a joke ! All workers have expenses , just cause art materials are dear doesn’t justify the huge exemption , if that’s the case then we’re all entitled to buy expensive cars and get the tax exemption as we need them to get to work . Funny how the minimum wage earners are still expected to pay bills and live but the Artists can’t manage on 3 times that amount on money , and why is the spectrum so broad for the Title Artist ? I draw pictures daily with my child , am I an artist too
The state funds so many artists they’re not able to make any critical commentary on society. They shouldn’t pay tax but then none of the rest of us should either. Government administration needs to go the way of the dinosaur.
Why should wealth artists have tax breaks while all us hard working low middle and high income workers get ride on tax. Charlie’s pocket got well lined
The first €50k is exempt from tax , what a joke ! All workers have expenses , just cause art materials are dear doesn’t justify the huge exemption , if that’s the case then we’re all entitled to buy expensive cars and get the tax exemption as we need them to get to work . Funny how the minimum wage earners are still expected to pay bills and live but the Artists can’t manage on 3 times that amount on money , and why is the spectrum so broad for the Title Artist ? I draw pictures daily with my child , am I an artist too ?
Yes it is good but only on till they reach a certain level of income.
Ye know you won’t have PK or Rourke calling for an end to the Bizness man Ponzi scheme that is Ireland. Dee Bizness man according to PK and Rourkey is a wealth creator and a job creator and no other word do they speak. The do not tell you of how Dee Bizness man is enjoying the car, restaurants, hotel rooms as a tax write off. Perhaps no being paid a wage but a modest wage (sure jesus would you want to be taxed!!!!) but most of the money is ploughed into the company which you own, or in shares which you legally put through the ringer over years and can take back then tax free from even capital gains.
No go after the artist, stick a picture up of multi millionaire louis walsh and debate this on radio over the week, (I am sure they have all got their portfolio of discussion for the week.) Go after the artist, those that do not get on the train at 6.30am to work in our economic hubs to return at 7pm at night, people who want to spend time raising their kids. People that won’t buy our crap little overpriced houses or rent from us forever, well those that refuse to go into our economic sty, will be herded and goaded into it.
Very few artists make enough to qualify for income tax anyway. If they really want to help visual artists in this country they’d make art tax deducible for the buyer. Increase sales. Everyone’s happy.
Why is there a photo of Louise Walsh and 2 mimers from a boy group if this article is about art?
performing artists, for example members of boy bands who don’t write music are not exempt under the scheme……I wonder did the person who selected the photo to go with this story knew that?
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