The World Bank – adding up apples and oranges to equal Ireland

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The World Bank has published its latest “Doing Business” report — an annual fiasco that might easily be interpreted as a celebration of the neoliberal cause of attacking government.

The ranking for this year is:

1  Singapore

2  Hong Kong SAR, China

3  New Zealand

4  United Kingdom

5  United States

6  Denmark

7 Canada

8  Norway

9 Ireland

10 Australia

Four of the top five happen to coincide the the ranking of the world’s major financial centres, noted for their light approach to regulation. No chance of coincidence then? Each bar New Zealand, is, of course, a secrecy jurisdiction.

As for ease of paying tax — this is the ranking:

1 Maldives

2 Qatar

3 Hong Kong SAR,

4 Singapore

5 United Arab Emirates

6 Saudi Arabia

7 Ireland

8 Oman

9 Kuwait

10 Canada

I am sure Ireland is delighted to find it’s so easy to do business there, and so easy not to pay tax, just when they need every penny they can lay their hands on.

And, as ever, the stats on which this is based are absurd. Talk of adding up apples and oranges. Adding up profit, labour and sales tax percentage rates and suggesting the result is meaningful is ludicrous.

Shame on them for producing such nonsense.


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