Monthly Archives: May 2013

hd_4fc2ad36186e457dc1eb600074103936-465x261The controversially out-sourced logo for TG4

Annie West writes:

Dear Ministers [Pat[ Rabbitte, [Jimmy] Deenihan and [Richard] Bruton

I’m writing to ask if you are aware of the fact that TG4 commissioned three UK based Companies to design the motion graphics and new Logo in 2012.

Many people, rightly, commented on Social media that because of EU rules, TG4 would have had to tender this work and whichever company came up with the best/cheapest pitch would win the commission, regardless of location.

However:

Further enquiries showed that in fact tender is not required for “creative” work. This means that TG4 (and, as it happens, RTE) do not need to advertise any work for commission and therefore, any Irish Companies who specialise in this kind of work (and there are many) might not even be aware that work is available.

It seems odd to me and many others that, in particular , designing a Logo that reflects *characteristics of traditional Irish Fonts that’s both modern and steeped in heritage* needs to be sent to three UK companies.

I personally do not work in this specialised area of design but I do know plenty of people who do. I also know people who will be graduating from IADT and other design Colleges who find this news demoralising and disappointing.

One might have assumed that , with TG4’s commitment to Irish heritage, language and creativity, every effort would have been made to find a company in Ireland (and perhaps even in the Gaeltacht areas) to do this work.

Ireland is bursting with creative talent, in all areas including motion graphics, typography and design. For the life of me I cannot understand why this lucrative job could not have been offered to an indigenous company.

Annie West

Previously: An Raibh Fios Agat?

Google3

“Meanwhile, Ireland, already an attractive destination for multinational companies, is making it even easier for them to avoid taxes.”

“Last year, for example, Irish revenue authorities agreed to let Google make billions of dollars in royalty payments directly to a Bermuda subsidiary, helping to cut the company’s tax bill by at least $2 billion a year, according to U.S. and overseas securities filings. Previously, Google had routed those payments through a shell company in the Netherlands to avoid a 20 percent Irish withholding tax on payments destined for island havens. According to a person with knowledge of the arrangement, Ireland agreed to accept an additional tax well below 20 percent in exchange for the favorable treatment.“

Jesse Drucker on Bloomberg.

Europe Eases Corporate Tax Dodge as Worker Burdens Rise (Bloomberg) 

Previously: Anything Good Behind The FT Paywall? 

How Google’s Double Irish Tax Scheme Works

Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LkXAq5a4Zo

What you may need to know

1. The final countdown has begun to the next phase in Netflix’s ongoing experiment to reinvent television viewing – this involves reviving the greatest cult sitcom of them all.

2. If you’ve never seen AD, procure the box-sets immediately. We’re still spotting new gags. Here are 53 you may have missed.

3. Fact: some people will tell you that Arrested Development is overrated. These people are wrong.

4. They’ve been talking up the return of Arrested Development for YEARS; can it possibly live up to impossibly inflated expectations? We’re already doing the chicken dance.

5. And yes, Bob Loblaw is returning.

Release Date: May 26