On the first night of Dublin Web Summit 2013, here's my bit of thinking:
For executives and corporate leaders:
For policy makers: when will you stop pretending that you understand innovation?
Government after government around the world is harping on about 'innovation-driven growth' 'knowledge economy' and 'creative economy'. Government after government charges human capital - the main generator of value added activity in all of these economies - a 50%+ tax rate, so it can subsidise building & construction, property investments, roads and transport, farming and forestry, fishing and tourism - the parts of the economy that are anything but 'knowledge' or 'creative' or 'innovation-centric'. In fact, the subsidies are flowing to these sectors irrespective of whether their recipients in any way shape or form engage in or support knowledge generation or commercialisation, creativity deployment and embedding into their processes and outputs, or innovation-driven transformation of their sectors/firms/services or outputs.
Give a thought to the above two questions, folks, while inhaling the airs of the Web Summit. And keep remembering: you are in the city where human capital is being taxed at 55%+ to fund services not available to the holders of that human capital. And corporate capital is taxed at 0%-12.5%. Where the Government has just passed a new Budget hiking indirect taxes on human capital (amongst other) to fund subsidised home improvements for small builders.
Welcome to the Creative Knowledge Innovation Ireland... did you declare your human capital at the customs?..
For executives and corporate leaders:
Government after government around the world is harping on about 'innovation-driven growth' 'knowledge economy' and 'creative economy'. Government after government charges human capital - the main generator of value added activity in all of these economies - a 50%+ tax rate, so it can subsidise building & construction, property investments, roads and transport, farming and forestry, fishing and tourism - the parts of the economy that are anything but 'knowledge' or 'creative' or 'innovation-centric'. In fact, the subsidies are flowing to these sectors irrespective of whether their recipients in any way shape or form engage in or support knowledge generation or commercialisation, creativity deployment and embedding into their processes and outputs, or innovation-driven transformation of their sectors/firms/services or outputs.
Give a thought to the above two questions, folks, while inhaling the airs of the Web Summit. And keep remembering: you are in the city where human capital is being taxed at 55%+ to fund services not available to the holders of that human capital. And corporate capital is taxed at 0%-12.5%. Where the Government has just passed a new Budget hiking indirect taxes on human capital (amongst other) to fund subsidised home improvements for small builders.
Welcome to the Creative Knowledge Innovation Ireland... did you declare your human capital at the customs?..
