European Union Regulation

A reader wants to know why Ireland's tax rate should matter to the European Union.
The short answer is, "It shouldn't."
The European Union is always trying to find itself in the federal system of the United States, mistakenly believing that the USA forces lock-step conformity on its citizens, leaving no room for independent state action. That's just plain wrong, as every American can tell you, but the EU is determined to out-federalize us. It doesn't work like that in America and it won't work for the EU.
Who really cares if every lawn mower in Europe operates at the same sound level??? Who really cares if some countries like cheese made with unpasturized milk (it hasn't seemed to do much harm during the past 600 years or so)? And, do Europeans really lose sleep at night because the English buy their beer in pints instead of liters?
If the EU concentrated on the things that really matter : honest dealings between the European states on what their budget deficits really are -  making concrete the promise of free entry into every EU country for the purpose of work - revising their governing documents so that the European Commissioners and Parliament actually represent European constituencies and are held responsible for their actions by them. That's what federalism is all about. Not lawn mower noise.