CITIZEN to CITIZEN to CITIZEN Creating Wealth through the Gift Circle of Taxation ‘There is nothing more wasteful than becoming highly efficient at doing all the wrong things’ (Ref Peter Druker) Recessions are wonderful opportunities. They allow time to reflect on, and reconsider, the manner by which we engage with and organise our communities, and create wealth for our citizens. This proposal concerns itself with the re-interpretation and transformation of taxation so as to reward and celebrate citizenship. This proposal therefore concerns itself with the reconsideration of key concepts relating to our national perception of: 1. Citizenship 2. Land 3. Wealth 4. Taxation The proposal therefore explicitly concerns itself with a process within which our transformation as a country and as a nation must evolve. It suggests a methodology of taxation, a nine year citizen tax, which is equitable and reasonable and which will negate the current tendencies of our monetary policies More...

Make Ireland the home of the research and development (R&D) activity. Support the R&D and be perceived as the country where most of the industrial research and innovation. Convince the industries that Ireland is the country where industrial research should be based, the prototypes should be developed, and the new products tested and brought to the market. Communicate to the world that the well developed infrastructure in the country would permit high standards of living for the scientific personnel, the universities would provide high profile staff and the efficiently set up legal and political environment are ideal to develop and to license new products. Basically, offer a stable working environment and high standards of living to those who want to analyse, develop and improve the technologies of the future.

Having read most of these great ideas what struck me is that though innovative and viable in their own right most of them would not have the capacity (as yet) to create the number of jobs required by this competition, together they would though. My idea would be to take 10+ of the best smaller scale projects/ideas and bring them to fruition as smaller incubation projects providing less jobs initially. These would form a YCYC combined project which would be given the same resources and mentoring as a larger project, be more diverse, challenging, still provide the same amount of employment combined and who knows out of the ‘rest’ might come the ‘best’

The proposal is to establish a National Recovery and Development Fund in order to generate capital which would help create jobs for small to medium businesses. The capital acquired through the fund will be divided between important sectors in the Irish Economy to encourage employment and help develop Irish self sufficiency in areas such as energy and crop cultivation.

My idea is to allow employers to hire people who are collecting job seekers allowance at a reduced cost. Employee could still collect their full allowance and the employer would only pay the amount in excess of job seekers allowance. The jobs would be for qualified people and pay twelve Euro per hour.

Ireland has a unique opportunity to become the first country in the world to energize its industrial and social frameworks by embracing population ageing as a positive phenomenon, with enormous potential to not only harness the energy of older Irish people, to create new products and markets relating to ageing, but also to provide positive leadership in a world where the majority of older people live in the developing world. While the rest of the world focusses on the negative aspects of ageing, Ireland can steal a march by embracing the positivities and opportunities of maturing societies: according to the EU, the senior citizens market will grow by 81% from 2005 to 2030 while the 18-59 year old market will only increase by 7%! The key challenge to realizing the Demographic Dividend is to embrace the complexity of ageing, which means that growth and loss occur at all ages: a little known fact is that gains in longevity after 1970 have added $3.2 trillion a year to the US economy. The More...

I suggest that Ireland be declared the "artist capital of the World.Ireland is a country thats steeped in the arts tradition. We have beautiful irish music thats world renowned and ecstatically beautiful landscape that lends itself perfect to artists. We could dot the countryside with art villages like Cill Riallaigh in south West Kerry which was a major success.Thomas Town in Kilkenny is another example which has become a centre for arts and crafts..tory Island is another. Declaring Ireland the art capital of the world would attract a lot of wealthy people to our shores. Thus bringing a lot of revenue into the country. It would also create a lot of jobs in the building of art studios and schools. Also in the employment of teachers of the various arts. Ireland has always been known for its arts. Therefore we should maximum exploit what we are good at. Just like other countries do.

The proposal is to establish a National Recovery and Development Fund in order to generate capital which would encourage job creation for small to medium businesses. The capital acquired through the fund will be divided between important sectors of the Irish Economy to create employment and help develop Irish self sufficiency in areas such as energy and crop cultivation.

Give to each Irishman/Irishwoman a well designed place, together with the time and the best tools to think, and create a nation of a thinking and communicating population to get Ireland back to where it belongs, at the forefront of the “intelligent society”, and the emerging wave of the so-called Third Industrial Revolution. This idea is to regenerate a number of pubs (as social hubs) across the country, and through redesign converting it into ‘social innovation hubs’ and ‘places for thinking’, open to the general public. The physical network will be supported by an online network of users and partners, which will be a catalyst for Irish social and creative capital, to boost thinking and ignite innovative collaborations

Getting the stalled housing market moving again is a major objective to try to achieve. Anyone who has bought a house in the last eight years is probably in negative equity which is the main factor in them not selling on. With the implementation of PANAMA a percentage of the difference between the bought price (peak price) and the realistic selling price today is deducted by the bank when that house is sold on. Also the government can reduce the stamp duty by two thirds, from €15,750 on a €350,000 to a more manageable €5,000. • This will stimulate the housing market. • It will increase activity in the building trade. • It will give a sense of justice that is missing after NAMA. • It will increase optimism in the country. this is the peoples NAMA.....