Summary of ideas submitted in the Other category…

• Allow generous tax relief to community groups e.g. sports clubs who invest in transport (bus / mini-bus etc) which can be put to use on behalf of the broader community as well as their own sports club.
• Allow landlords tax breaks where they provide reduced rent to new businesses in their first three years or allow local councils use their properties for tenants on the housing lists.
• Allow local contractors to compete for local contracts without all the red tape that goes with the current system.
• Allow owners of one-bed apartments to acquire (i.e. extend) adjoining apartments with no stamp duty payment.
• Allow people to invest in BES funds with existing investment caps. Allow these funds to invest in companies and get rid of the “put and call options” i.e. make it very attractive for investors and not just a tax avoidance gimmick, i.e. win-win for investors and companies. Create three levels of BES investment, based on the risk profile, with higher tax rebates for those that invest at the seed/R&D level, and possibly even additional matching funding from Enterprise Ireland to encourage those perceived high-risk projects.
• Allow private companies to buy schools, which are then leased back to the Department of Education.
• Allow restricted immigration from non-EU countries like India.
• Allow restricted immigration of high quality workers. Why not start getting the cream of non-EU countries like India?
• Allow schools to use lunch money funds for construction/other. Reuse old computers.
• Allow the installation of wind turbines on farms over 50 acres of up to 100KW without the requirement for planning permission. Incentivise this by allowing tax breaks against their installation and a seven-year tax break on revenue generated from them.
• Allow the OPW to commission public works, but with a difference from the normal tendering and outsourcing to contractors and consultants. By using in-house OPW expertise in architecture, engineering, quantity surveying and project management, a number of much needed local projects could be delivered at a fraction of current costs.
• Allow those submitting ideas to your site to collaborate, then the sum will be much more than the parts.
• Allow those unemployed to keep up their job skills and morale by working at reduced rates in state run placements
• Alternative energy generation.
• An approach should be made by www.ideascampaign.ie to Shinawil productions (Dragon’s Den) to see whether the bank of unused ideas could be developed and put to good use, e.g. to give some of the submitted ideas a second opportunity of coming to fruition.
• An explosion of research is beginning to emerge on the benefits of Vitamin D or sunlight to human health. We should try to make and market our own test kits here.
• An IFSC for the creative industries.
• Any increase in personal income taxes should affect income levies only, as these cannot be avoided through tax relief and capital allowances etc. The better off will therefore pay their equitable share. I would suggest doubling or trebling the current levies.
• Any PC that does not need to be on should be turned off at the end of the user’s day which could result in a saving of approximately €10 to €50 a year.
• Anyone in receipt of unemployment assistance who comes up with a business proposal that will employ him/her and at least one other person who is also in receipt of unemployment assistance would be allowed to continue to receive their unemployment assistance for one person for a maximum of one year.
• Anyone who has been signing on for more than 3/6 months is entrusted with taking up some form of community service/social/civil employment.
• Apply tax to betting online.
• As a business etiquette and performance management trainer it would be great if I could deliver complimentary training to a group of individuals who in turn could provide training or another service in a barter system.
• As a once off, all public sector employees should be allowed to apply for reduced working hours of their choice. The choices should allow maximum flexibility for the employee in order to encourage significant numbers of employees to take this up.
• As FÁS is the state employment agency, I would suggest FÁS set up a database of unemployed people who are available for temporary work (in the absence of any permanent jobs).
• As loans in credit unions are falling back and as part of our social responsibility, we feel that the funds that we have available to us could be used to help rejuvenate the economy.
• As of January this year all buildings are required to obtain a BER Energy Certificate when sold, rented, refurbished etc. While most people will use a result to haggle slightly with sellers the Government should adopt a carbon tax on buildings which achieve below a certain rating like car tax.
• As there is now a dramatic slowdown in spending, retailers could now be encouraged to shorten their working week to six days, leaving one day free, say Sunday. This would reduce their costs and overheads in difficult trading times. On these shopping-free days we could be encouraged to spend time visiting local or nationwide heritage sites, thus increasing tourism.
• Ask engineering students to come up with ideas to reduce waste of resources.
• Ask everyone to consider each task they carry out, evaluate it and see why it needs to be done, if it could be done more efficiently (therefore more cost effectively). They will be empowered to effect change and get more job satisfaction as well.
• Assemble a team to streamline our systems of investigation at all levels of government and society. The team should consist of a combination of the best minds from our universities, the individuals already responsible for investigations, and individuals who have excelled in the streamlining of services for multinational businesses.
• At a community level, we need people to start looking at their own situation, their communities and find practical solutions. Therefore, a greater focus on self-reliance.
• At waste treatment plants throughout the country, if pig slurry were added it would generate gas that in turn could be used in generating electricity, which could then be sold to the national grid or used by the local authority.
• Attract more tourists to Ireland through international exhibitions and campaigns.
• Auctioneers should open on Sundays to do viewings.