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The 2008-2012 Business Environment Ranking of the Economist Intelligence Unit placed Ireland 11th globally out of 82 countries.

Almost 1,000 companies – including some of the world’s best known brands – have chosen Ireland as the hub of their European networks because of the winning combination Ireland offers them. Here are the top reasons that companies cite as to why they choose Ireland as their operational base:

1. Taxation advantage: Ireland has a 12.5% headline corporation tax rate. This is amongst the lowest in the EU and the lowest taxation rate in any English speaking country.

2. Excellent government support for business: IDA Ireland is a state-run organization that can support companies both financially and administratively when setting up a base of operations in Ireland. They also provide ongoing support for companies based in Ireland.

3. Young, growing population: 35% of people in Ireland are less than 35 years of age and Ireland had a 4.4% net population growth rate in 2008, the highest in the EU.

4. Well educated & talented workforce: 40% of Irish people aged between 25 and 34 have completed University education. Ireland placed joint first of ten European countries in a 2008 IMD ranking of the percentage of the population with a third-level qualification.

5. Multi-lingual skills availability: Google Inc. employs more than 1,600 people in their European HQ in Ireland serving customers in 35 countries representing more than 40 nationalities with capability in 52 languages.

6. Unbeatable track record: 7 of the global top 10 technology firms and 9 of the top 10 software firms have significant operations in Ireland including IBM, HP, Microsoft, SAP and Intel.

7. Low cost leased telecoms: Ireland has the lowest cost of International leased lines in the OECD. Also, Ireland has access to advanced telecommunications infrastructure, with state-of-the-art optical networks and international connectivity.