A very good post indeed Captainplaystation. And now, ten years on, you have guys paying employee and employers national insurance where they are based plus a relatively high income tax within Ireland. Added to this, contractors are seeing more towns and cities than the littlest hobo at the moment. A couple of days here, a few days there. A real adventure.
I wasn't around on the dates that you mention however I did fly with a fair few tax non-conformants who were very open about how their gross salary = their net salary. Guys raking in more cash than your most senior legacy wide body Captain. Some are now ruined, lost houses, assets; it all caught up with them. Others are hiding out in far flung locations shaking out the sand from their boots or breathing in rancid air, knowing that an unhappy tax official is waiting for them back home. I have no sympathy for any of them. And you can't blame Ryanair on this. This lot knew what they were doing.
And I agree with the sentiment. These contracts are and remain the pilots' problem.