February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The new Ireland Tax Center of Excellence is modeled on KPMG’s 15 other New York-based international offices. It will, in effect, be a one-stop shop for companies that want information about the tax implications of setting up in Ireland.
The other international centers offer similar advice about major European nations, as well as additional countries that attract significant U.S.-inward investment such as Mexico and China.
Pat O’Brien, who has been a partner in KPMG’s Dublin office since 1987, will head up the Ireland center.
“This is something we really felt we should do,” O’Brien told the Echo. “Ireland has enjoyed a pretty generous share of U.S.-inward investment, and we would like to keep it that way.”
O’Brien contended that the existence of the New York office will make life easier for U.S. companies seeking advice about Ireland. The center of excellence will be able to answer queries about Ireland and the rest of the EU in a timely and efficient way.
O’Brien also believes that the new office will never be short of business. He argues that the current media focus on U.S. firms expanding into India or China has led some people to believe, erroneously, that Ireland has slipped down the totem pole in terms of attractiveness to American investors.
“The perception is almost that there has been a paradigm shift, whereas really there hasn’t,” he said. “We believe Ireland will continue to be an attractive location for U.S. investment.”