News

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said there will be further meetings this week in relation to the hospitality VAT rate, involving the key ministers of finance, public expenditure, social protection and the party leaders. The 9% VAT rate for the industry is due to expire at the end of the month, when it will revert to 13.5%.…

Further increases in health insurance premiums cannot be ruled out later this year, according to one health insurance expert. Laya Healthcare followed rivals Irish Life Health and VHI in announcing a hike in the cost of some of its premiums late last week. It means all of the providers in the market have recently increased…

Minister of State Jack Chambers is set to bring proposals for the Licensed Haulage Support Scheme to Cabinet that will provide €18 million to assist licensed haulage businesses with cost pressures. According to research conducted by the Department of Transport, for the last six months of 2022, fuel prices for operators continued to be just…

The European Commission has revised upwards its forecasts for economic growth this year in Ireland. In its Winter 2023 Economic Forecast, released today, the Commission predicts the economy here will grow in GDP terms by 4.9%, compared to its Autumn forecast of 3.2%. Growth next year has been revised upwards to 4.1% compared to an…

Commercial semi-state companies last year paid out aggregate dividends of €199.4 million to the exchequer. The €199 million paid out in 2022 is a 31.4% increase on the €151.7 million dividends paid out by the semi-state companies to the exchequer for 2021. However, in a written Dáil reply to co-leader of the Social Democrats, Catherine…

IMSE, the group representing small and medium sized firms, has called for the continuation of the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme beyond the end of February and for the streamlining of the application process which it says is ‘extremely complex’ to apply for. The scheme – known as TBESS – covers 40% of the additional…

Consumer spending last month rose by 17.8% compared to the same month a year ago, according to the latest data released by online bank Revolut. However, the growth in spending by the company’s two million customers here is likely to have been heavily influenced by rising inflation, as the cost of living last month was…

The Minister for Finance has ruled out introducing mortgage interest relief for owner-occupiers, warning that such a move could cost €655m a year. Speaking in the Dáil, Michael McGrath acknowledged that many mortgage holders were under significant pressure, as some lenders are charging up to 7% interest on home loan repayments. Sinn Féin urged the…

Confronted by competition from the US’s vast green tech investment plan, European leaders have opened the way towards a relaxation of their own restrictions on state aid. Meeting at their summit in Brussels, the 27 leaders agreed that a response was necessary to counter rising energy bills and the threat of unfair US competition. But…

will receive a payment of €89.10 as the charge to fund renewables is not needed due to the high wholesale price of electricity. The payment will be made in monthly installments of €12.73 from March to September. Customers will receive the payment as a credit on their bills. Pre-paid customers will have their daily standing…