• reopening the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) Scheme for another 14 days
• introducing a second payment of ICOB for businesses in the retail and hospitality sectors
• doubling the Innovation Grant Scheme to €10,000
• increasing the maximum amount available under the Energy Efficiency Grant Scheme to €10,000 and reducing the business contribution rate from 50% to 25%
• widening the eligibility for the Trading Online Voucher, extending it to all sectors up to 50 employees, modernise eligible expenditure and doubling the grant to €5,000
• increasing the lending limit for Microfinance Ireland loans to €50,000 from €25,000
• widening the eligibility for the Digital for Business Consultancy Scheme and extending it to all sectors with up to 50 employees
• launching a new ‘Ireland’s Best Entrepreneur Programme’ to encourage entrepreneurship and startups in under-represented groups
• launching the new online National Enterprise Hub for SMEs to access information on the wide range of Government business supports
• implementing an enhanced ‘SME Test’ by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in conjunction with the Department of the Taoiseach
• review ESRI research on the impact of Statutory Sick Leave before deciding on any further increases
• review the proposed Roadmap for Increasing Minimum Annual Remuneration Thresholds for Employment Permits

The government has also noted other measures being progressed:

• Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys has confirmed that she will increase the employer PRSI threshold from €441 to €496 with effect from 1 October 2024. This will ensure that employers with employees earning the weekly equivalent of the national minimum wage will pay the lower rate of employer PRSI rate of 8.8%.
• The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick O’Donovan will develop proposals for the effective and sustainable use of the €1.5bn surplus in the National Training Fund to future proof workforce skills in SMEs and ensure workers in SMEs can readily access lifelong learning opportunities.
• The Minister for Housing, Heritage and Local Government will shortly issue a circular letter to local authorities informing them that no fees shall be charged or levied for tables and chairs for the purpose of outdoor dining up to 31 December 2024. This is expected to save €125 per table for hotels, restaurants, public houses or other establishments where food is sold for consumption on the premises.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke TD welcomed agreement on the measures, saying:
“Our small businesses are the backbone of our local economy and provide much valued employment in communities across the country. These measures represent agreement from across government on the need to support our SMEs in the face of rising costs – while also balancing critical progress in terms of working conditions.
“Small and medium sized businesses are vital to Ireland’s success and are central to our ability to build a broad-based and successful economy and wider society. It has been a priority of Taoiseach Simon Harris to support our small businesses since he took office, and I am glad today that we have delivered on this.
“While there has been some moderation in the rate of wholesale price inflation, and measures to date have helped many vulnerable but viable firms, these new measures will help SME long-term financial sustainability, and aid them to grow and thrive so as to sustain good jobs into the future.
“I continue to advocate on behalf of small businesses and traders up and down this country, and I look forward to Budget 2025 to highlight further government commitment to this critical sector.”

Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath said:
“The package of measures being announced today is fair and balanced, and underlines the recognition across government of the crucial role SMEs play in our economy and in communities across Ireland. As Minister for Finance, I very much welcome the progress that has been made in relation to the Tax Debt Warehouse scheme. This has been a vital support to viable businesses during the dark days of the pandemic and in the period since. I would also like to thank the Revenue Commissioners for the positive and proactive approach they have taken to engaging with firms. The success of the scheme is a testament to the collaborative approach taken by a broad range of stakeholders and demonstrates the government’s commitment to supporting our business and enterprise sector.”

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Land Use and Biodiversity, Pippa Hackett said:
“Small and medium businesses are the lifeblood of towns and villages the length and breadth of the country, and play an essential role in maintaining communities in rural areas. These business owners have shown remarkable resilience over the past number of years in facing the successive challenges of Covid, energy costs and inflation. This package of government supports will play a vital role in bolstering that resilience and will enable these businesses to focus on what they do best.”

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Despite last minute appeals from business organisations, the increase went ahead.

The Government extended the lower rate for the final time in February. It made the decision after an economic assessment by Government officials found there was no economic case for any further extension. Government ministers have since consistently ruled out any further extension to the lower rate, because it is considered to be both regressive and costly.

The extension is estimated to have cost the Exchequer €300m in tax revenue foregone.

The 13.5% rate was lowered to 9% in November 2020 to help stimulate activity in the tourism and hospitality sectors during the pandemic and was extended in May of last year, as well as in February this year.

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Mr English was the minister of State at the Department of Enterprise – with responsibility for Irish retail and retailers, seeing the sector through on of its most difficult eras ever.

In a statement on 12th January, Mr English said: “Yesterday in an online article, questions were raised about my planning application from 14 years ago.

“I reviewed this application, made in 2008, and it is clear to me that I failed to inform Meath County Council (MCC) about ownership of my house in Castlemartin.”

The new Minister with responsibility for retail and enterprise is Neale Richmond.

An Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Rathdown constituency since the 2020 general election, he previously served as a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2016 to 2020.

He said he looked forward to “hitting the ground running” in what was “a really important portfolio and a really important department”.

“We have some of the highest employment figures in the state at the moment but we have to maintain that in a very difficult global environment. Secondly, a lot of the work I would have done on the Brexit beat was in terms of preparing businesses particularly retail for the implications of checks in terms of import/export. So those are things I really want to build on in this new role.”

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Over half (53%) of Irish motorists say they will be driving an electric vehicle (EV) by 2030 to reduce CO2 emissions.

Two in five would consider switching to an electric vehicle within the next three years, with almost two thirds (64%) of 18-24-year-olds considering the switch.

Over two fifths (43%) will rely on forecourts for access to EV charging facilities in the future.

Three quarters (74%) feel that more needs to be done to educate people about electric vehicle adoption.

Greenhouse gas emissions

Electric vehicles are seen by most (70%) Irish motorists as playing a significant role in reducing Ireland’s level of greenhouse gas emissions. Perhaps it’s no surprise then, that EV sales continue to increase and over half (53%) of Irish motorists say they will be driving an electric vehicle by 2030. That’s according to research by Circle K, Ireland’s leading forecourt and convenience retailer.

The research also found that forecourts will continue to play a significant role in powering Ireland’s transport needs, with over two fifths of motorists saying they will rely on forecourts for access to EV charging facilities in the future. Circle K is preparing for this future and currently has EV charging points located at more than a quarter of its company owned sites nationwide, with more being added over the coming years.

Recharging

Circle K’s expanding network of EV charging points will also help the 56% of motorists who feel the current charging infrastructure would not meet their needs if they switched to an EV. This was the primary reason given for not making the switch, followed by the expense of purchasing an electric vehicle (37%), lack of knowledge of electric vehicles (16%) and range anxiety (15%).

With over a quarter (29%) of motorists not having access to a dedicated parking spot at their home to charge an electric vehicle, 43% say they will rely on forecourts for access to charging facilities in the future. The research also revealed that only 42% of adults are aware of their nearest charging station, with just under half (47%) saying it is within 5km. Dubliners also feel they tend to live closer to a charging station with 57% saying one is less than 5km away, which falls to 42% for Munster and 36% for Connacht and Ulster.

Time consuming

Over half (55%) of motorists are concerned that having to charge an electric vehicle will be awkward and time consuming. When it comes to charging times, 58% of all adults think it takes less than two hours to charge an electric vehicle, with most (27%) thinking that it takes one to two hours to fully charge.

Range

Irish motorists have differing opinions on the range of electric vehicles, with a fifth (20%) believing that the maximum distance an electric vehicle can go on a single charge is around 80-100km, 58% believe it is under 200km, a third (33%) believe it is 200-400km and fewer than one in ten (9%) think it is 400km or more.

The research found that due to range, recharging and the greater public transport options over two thirds (68%) of adults agree that electric vehicles are more suited to urban dwellers.

Action Needed

The research has revealed that despite most motorists believing they will be driving an electric vehicle by 2030, only 30% believe that the Irish Government’s target of having one million electric vehicles on the road by 2030 is achievable, with just 17% of respondents feeling the Government is doing enough to incentivise the purchase of electric vehicles and a third (33%) are unaware of the Electric Vehicle Grant Scheme.

With 42% feeling confused by the various terminology surrounding electric vehicles, the majority of the public (74%) feel that more needs to be done to educate people about electric vehicle adoption.

Commenting on the research findings, Senior Director Fuel at Circle K Ireland, Jonathan Diver said,

“Our mission is to make our customers lives easier every day and that applies to Ireland’s transition to electric vehicle usage – We want to ensure this transition is easy for customers and provide them with access to fast and convenient EV charging solutions. In recent years, we have significantly developed our EV charging capabilities and infrastructure across our network, rolling out charging points at more than a quarter of our company owned sites, and will continue to do so in the coming years as consumers energy needs evolve.”

“EV charging solutions are improving all the time; for example, many of our EV charging facilities have the capability to fully charge vehicles in just over 15 minutes. We are very fortunate at Circle K that we have access to the very best insights globally through our colleagues across the Circle K global network. wherein Norway, our colleagues are leading our global EV strategy and EVs actually outsell traditional combustible engine cars. We see forecourts there that only retail electricity while in others EV chargers sit alongside petrol and diesel pumps. We have an understanding of what the future might look like in this regard and this will be crucial to our own EV journey here in Ireland.”

“While widespread EV usage and facilities to match is the future destination, we need to consider the journey in between. We need to transition away from fuel products but ensure we do this in a gradual and appropriate manner. It is also important to remember that everyone’s journey towards EV usage will be different. For example, someone living in an urban setting with greater access to services and transport is in a completely different situation to someone in rural Ireland who still need their traditionally fuelled cars to get from A to B. We need to ensure we have solutions for everyone during this transitionary period.”

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