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Also it is (and was) the only English speaking country in the eurozone. Tax was a huge factor in drawing some of the big names but the double-Irish (the worst

Also it is (and was) the only English speaking country in the eurozone. Tax was a huge factor in drawing some of the big names but the double-Irish (the worst aspect of tax avoidance) had been phased out. Corporate tax is 12.5% which is lower than the majority of EU countries [1] but the existing ecosystem of companies has also helped create an attractive labour pool. If it's purely tax everyone would move to Hungary (9%). 1: https://taxfoundation.org/2021-corporate-tax-rates-in-europe/ https://taxfoundation.org/2021-corporate-tax-rates-in-europe...

varjag 5y ago
A number of European countries have near 100% English literacy and allow for document workflow and accounting in English. I suspect it's mostly the taxes.
- moonchrome 5y ago
  >A number of European countries have near 100% English literacy and allow for document workflow and accounting in English. Like he said, there are places with tax rates below Ireland (eg. Hungary, Bulgaria). Taxes are a significant aspect but it's a combination of things.
- aix1 5y ago
  > A number of European countries have near 100% English literacy and allow for document workflow and accounting in English. Is there a handy list of such countries? (I'm genuinely curious.)
  - varjag 5y ago
    The three Scandinavian ones plus Finland, Iceland and possibly the Netherlands. Maybe some others too. English documentation is customarily recognized throughout the EU.
    - TravelPiglet 5y ago
      English literacy in Finland is pretty bad.
      - Zitrax 5y ago
        According to this ranking Finland is on 3rd place for English skills in Europe, only behind Netherlands and Denmark. https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/ https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/
        isbvhodnvemrwvn 5y ago
        It's a useless metric: https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/about-epi/faq/ https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/about-epi/faq/ > What is the methodology behind index? > The EF EPI calculates a country’s/region's average adult English skill level using data from three different versions of the EF SET. Two versions are open to any Internet user for free. The third is an online placement test used by EF during the enrollment process for English courses. > In order to calculate a country’s EF EPI score, each test score was normalized to obtain the percentage of correct answers for that test. All the scores for a country/region were then averaged across the three tests, giving equal weight to each test. Regional and global averages were weighted by the populations of each country/region within each region. People who don't know english in the first place won't have any reason for taking those tests.
        RobertoG 5y ago
        That list says that Nigeria and Hong Kong have "moderate" skills in English, their official language. Sounds a little weird to me.
        TravelPiglet 5y ago
        Obviously anyone who have visited Finland knows they are way behind the rest of Northern Europe.
    - gerbler 5y ago
      I totally agree that English can be used entirely for businesses in other euro countries but for a US company it is attractive for employees/families to be in country where English is an official language.
- dbs 5y ago
  Taxes AND rule of law

varjag 5y ago

A number of European countries have near 100% English literacy and allow for document workflow and accounting in English. I suspect it's mostly the taxes.

moonchrome 5y ago
>A number of European countries have near 100% English literacy and allow for document workflow and accounting in English. Like he said, there are places with tax rates below Ireland (eg. Hungary, Bulgaria). Taxes are a significant aspect but it's a combination of things.
aix1 5y ago
> A number of European countries have near 100% English literacy and allow for document workflow and accounting in English. Is there a handy list of such countries? (I'm genuinely curious.)
- varjag 5y ago
  The three Scandinavian ones plus Finland, Iceland and possibly the Netherlands. Maybe some others too. English documentation is customarily recognized throughout the EU.
  - TravelPiglet 5y ago
    English literacy in Finland is pretty bad.
    - Zitrax 5y ago
      According to this ranking Finland is on 3rd place for English skills in Europe, only behind Netherlands and Denmark. https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/ https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/
      - isbvhodnvemrwvn 5y ago
        It's a useless metric: https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/about-epi/faq/ https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/about-epi/faq/ > What is the methodology behind index? > The EF EPI calculates a country’s/region's average adult English skill level using data from three different versions of the EF SET. Two versions are open to any Internet user for free. The third is an online placement test used by EF during the enrollment process for English courses. > In order to calculate a country’s EF EPI score, each test score was normalized to obtain the percentage of correct answers for that test. All the scores for a country/region were then averaged across the three tests, giving equal weight to each test. Regional and global averages were weighted by the populations of each country/region within each region. People who don't know english in the first place won't have any reason for taking those tests.
      - RobertoG 5y ago
        That list says that Nigeria and Hong Kong have "moderate" skills in English, their official language. Sounds a little weird to me.
      - TravelPiglet 5y ago
        Obviously anyone who have visited Finland knows they are way behind the rest of Northern Europe.
  - gerbler 5y ago
    I totally agree that English can be used entirely for businesses in other euro countries but for a US company it is attractive for employees/families to be in country where English is an official language.
dbs 5y ago
Taxes AND rule of law