FORMER DRAGON’S DEN star Peter Casey has promised he will push businesses to relocate to rural Ireland if he is successful in securing a seat in the Seanad.

The businessman announced this morning that he will run in elections for the upper house of the Oireachtas. He has been nominated by business group Ibec to sit on the Seanad’s industrial and commercial panel.

To run for the Seanad independent candidates must receive the backing of a nominated body, large representative organisations in fields such as business or agriculture.

Known for his involvement on RTE’s Dragon’s Den series, Casey is also the founder and chief executive of recruitment company Claddagh Resources, which places high level executive with large consulting and IT firms.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie Casey said wants to see “less politicians” in the Seanad.

“We need less politicians in politics and more businessmen making business decisions,” he said.

Rural Ireland

One of Casey’s main focuses would be to spread investment throughout the country and lessen the concentration of businesses in Dublin. He says he would encourage tax breaks, rates concessions, and other incentives, “alongside proper connectivity and infrastructure” to encourage companies to relocate to rural Ireland.

Casey said he would aim to provide tax relief on the initial earnings of returning emigrants.

“There is a lot of cost associated with people coming back, you have to physically pack up and move, by the time you get a job you’re (spending money) too,” he said.

I’m not sure whether the exact (tax relief) would be on the first €100,000 or €200,000 (of earnings), but give people a real incentive to people to come back to Ireland and they’ll come back.”

He also said he would look to bring in a break on capital gains tax if an entrepreneur sells a company 15 years after it is founded, which he says would help create incentives for people to build businesses of scale.

Casey, who is married with five children, is a graduate in business and politics from Aston University in Birmingham. He has been named as one of the university’s 50 most influential alumni and was named by Irish America Magazine as one the leading Irish American businessmen for 2007.

Read: The government won’t be doing any Seanad reform after all

Read: Column: The two sides of bitcoin – is this virtual currency a boon or a threat?

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More