Over the last few months, we’ve been working on submissions to the Department of Finance on the policy issues closest to the hearts of Irish startups.

Our submissions include recommendations on a number of issues from share based remuneration, to seed investment, to capital gains tax relief. The submissions can be found in full on our website here.

Our number one request of the government is to simplify Irish tax policies so that they are more easily understandable and accessible to our community of resource and time strapped young companies. These policies then need to be marketed more broadly and consistently through online and offline channels.

Our pre-budget submission document gives voice, through direct quotes, to the first-hand experiences and challenges our companies face. It acknowledges the good work done by the Department of Finance to date and outlines what areas most need their attention now and into the future.

Our objective with these submissions past, present and no doubt future, is to encourage the government to create policies that recognize the fundamental needs of startups versus more established companies – their need to successfully attract human and financial capital into their businesses, and to be part of a true ecosystem of universities, multinationals, investors and startups that connected up is thousands of times greater than the sum of its parts.

I’d like to thank my colleague Ciaran Casey for his great work on these submissions. As we receive feedback, we’ll be sure to share it.

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This article first apprared in the Dublin Globe. For more stories on Dublin's startup ecosystem, visit their website here.