The International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) is an area of central Dublin and part of the CBD established in the 1980s as an urban regeneration area and special economic zone (SEZ) on the derelict state-owned former port authority lands of the reclaimed North Wall and George's Dock areas of the Dublin Docklands. The term has become a metonym for the Irish financial services industry as well as being used as an address and still being classified as an SEZ. It officially began in 1987 as an SEZ on an docklands site in central Dublin, with EU approval to apply a 10% corporate tax rate for "designated financial services activities". Before the expiry of this EU approval in 2005, the Irish Government legislated to effectively have a national flat rate by reducing the overall Irish corporate tax rate from 32% to 12.5% which was finally introduced in 2003. An additional primary goal of the IFSC was to assist the urban renewal and development programme of the North Wall area as a result of its dereliction following the advent of containerisation in the 1960s. Following a period of successful regeneration the Section 23 Relief and other schemes ceased accepting new entrants from 1999. The original 11-hectare IFSC site has gone through several expansions to become a area by 2018 which is now a major European financial centre. By merging with the Spencer Dock and Grand Canal Dock area, the IFSC is now considered to be an "International Services Centre", covering a broader range then being purely financial. The creation and development of the IFSC is considered to be an important part of Ireland's economic growth story. Location The original IFSC 1 (development of the site from 1987 to 1997 under the Custom House Docks Development Authority "CHDDA") comprises the area between Memorial Road, Amiens Street, Lower Sheriff Street (including part of Crinan Strand), Guild Street, and the River Liffey along North Wall Quay and Custom House Quay. Adjacent districts include East Wall to the north and Spencer Dock to the east; the Custom House, Busáras and the city centre lie to the west along Store Street and Abbey Street. Within the IFSC, the original development area lies west of Commons Street. East of Commons Street is the later IFSC 2 expansion (development of an additional from 1997 to 2007 under the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) which runs along North Wall Quay