Ryanair calls for change to Irish law in hope of appeasing unions

Ryanair is lobbying the Irish govt to change tax regulations such that the airline could meet a key demand of unions to contract staff under the employment laws of the country in which they reside. Ryanair CE Michael O'Leary said that at present the carrier could only offer its employees Irish contracts because the aircraft they work on were registered in the country, and its management based there. O'Leary says Ryanair employees based outside of Ireland can pay their social taxes in their country of residence but must pay their income tax in Ireland. He notes that Ryanair cabin crew typically earn amounts that subject them to Ireland's higher tax rate. "Ireland has this image as a corporate tax haven with low corporate tax rate, which to some extent it is, but it's penal [to] the person," he says. <br/>