Chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservatives, Irwin Armstrong, has pointed out that the DUP’s messages on Corporation Tax are deeply contradictory.
“We hear entirely different things from the First Minister and the Finance Minister when it comes to devolving these powers to Northern Ireland”, Irwin observes, “Peter Robinson talks up the potential for new jobs and investment, while Sammy Wilson warns about risk.”
“The truth is that the DUP is hedging its bets, because it is not in charge of this process. It is the Treasury which has conducted the consultation on devolved Corporation Tax and other methods of growing our economy - inviting contributions from everyone in Northern Ireland.”
“The government and the Conservative Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, have driven these initiatives from the outset. Locally, the Northern Ireland Conservatives are the only political party to join Grow NI, a cross disciplinary group devoted to rebalancing our economy.”
“Meanwhile the DUP and other parties are playing catch-up on this issue. It is Conservatives, local and national, who are spearheading efforts to kick-start Northern Ireland’s economy”.