Where are you getting that number? Northern Ireland will likely be dropping it&#x27;s rate to 12.5% in the near future, giving businesses access to the UK at the same rate as Ireland.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.revenue.ie&#x2F;en&#x2F;tax&#x2F;ct&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.revenue.ie&#x2F;en&#x2F;tax&#x2F;ct&#x2F;</a><p>Edit: Strings attached<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.telegraph.co.uk&#x2F;finance&#x2F;budget&#x2F;11929790&#x2F;Ireland-slashes-corporation-tax-to-just-6.25pc-but-theres-a-catch.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.telegraph.co.uk&#x2F;finance&#x2F;budget&#x2F;11929790&#x2F;Ireland-s...</a><p>&gt;However to qualify for the lower rate, companies must show they are genuine innovators and employ highly skilled people in the country.
Under the policy, dubbed the &#x27;knowledge development box&#x27; (KDB), firms will need to demonstrate their earnings are tied to patents and copyrighted software that were created by research and development carried out in Ireland.<p>&gt;The aim is to encourage local and international businesses to hire skilled workers and boost innovation, rather than simply basing tangential parts of their operations in the country to pay the low headline tax rate.