Angry Birds maker Rovio mulls moving headquarters to IrelandJune 11, 2012 - 11:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Finnish games company Rovio is fed up with having to pay so much of its profits to the government that that it is considering moving its headquarters to Ireland, TechEye reports. Chief executive Mikael Hed, of the company which brought the world the Angry Birds game, said Rovio's turnover grew to €75 million last year from €10 million the previous year, and less than €1 million the year prior to that. The only problem is that the Finnish tax man is extremely interested in getting a slice of the action to help his country pay for health, welfare and education. Hed told The Irish Times that the company's profits before tax and other charges was more than 60 percent of its income. Rovio employs 400 people, mostly in Finland, but apparently is in talks with the Irish government to see if it can establish headquarters there. That way it would not only save money on its tax bill, but would get sweeteners from the government to move over. Hed said that the Irish authorities have been very active and Rovio had been promoting that idea. Speaking in Monaco, where he is a contestant in the Ernst & Young International Entrepreneur of the Year awards, he said that for now Rovio has stayed in Finland but a move to a wetter, if warmer climate is high on the company's mind. The corporation tax rate in Finland is 24.5 percent, while Ireland's rate is 12.5 per cent. Google and Facebook, have set up European headquarters in Dublin so as to benefit from Ireland's low corporation tax rate. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |