The Problem
Foreign Direct Investment has a very positive impact on our economy, but it only directly accounts for 8% of employment. We need to create high quality jobs at home, with Irish entrepreneurs taking the educated workforce that attracts FDI and starting up and expanding existing businesses to grow our economy.
New businesses and existing small businesses find it hard to get investment, to keep cash flowing; they’re burdened beneath reams of red tape and high taxes that suck up the valuable money that a start up needs to survive and prosper.
Old Politics Failure
The parties of old politics talk a lot about jobs and they re-announce the same policies several times to try and look busy on the topic. But they are not willing to overcome the fundamental problems imposed by government on entrepreneurs or to provide the level of support given to foreign companies.
They don’t understand the world of small businesses and they’re not interested when there’s not the glitz of a PR announcement with two hundred jobs to claim credit for. The steady engine of employment and commerce in Ireland, the small business, is not for them.
The Solution
Aaron’s plan is to turn Ireland into the first best place in the world to set up or invest in a business by getting rid of bureaucratic obstacles and opportunity destroying taxes and introducing incentives and supports for entrepreneurs, small businesses and investors.
Supporting Entrepreneurs
- Put entrepreneurialism at the core of government and society, emphasising its importance to our shared future prosperity and changing culture to support it
- Eliminate disincentives to start up a business: Welfare safety net, bankruptcy laws, etc
- Create and expand supports for entrepreneurs and existing small businesses: Support groups, mentoring, networking, education and business reviews
- Encourage entrepreneurship among students by making it a core part of practical education – Bring together students of different disciplines and challenge them to create a new business
- Encourage the unemployed to become entrepreneurs, maintaining welfare supports while they create new opportunities for themselves and others