Budget 2023 measures do not go far enough, says Restaurants Association of Ireland
Increase of VAT rate to 13.5% next March a blow for tourism recovery and the consumer, says RAI
Print27 September 2022
Today’s Budget 2023 announcement has fallen short and does not go far enough to protect small Irish hospitality employers as input costs rise significantly, according to the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI).
“Whilst the announcement of the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) to support SMEs is welcome, covering 40% of the increase in electricity or gas bills, up to a maximum of €10,000 per month per business, it does not go far enough,” said Adrian Cummins, chief executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland.
“The devil will be in the detail on this and we are calling for Revenue to open and administer the Scheme immediately – some businesses are already struggling to pay the bills coming in through their doors,” Cummins added.
“Input costs continue to rise, including food costs and energy consumption will only increase during winter months. The 9% VAT rate ending in February of next year will only increase costs for consumers and raises concern about Ireland’s competitiveness compared to our EU counterparts.”
Overall, while the RAI welcomed the supports offered in today’s Budget, the association said there are still some long hard months ahead.
“This can only be the first step in a package of measures over the coming winter months and we look forward to meeting and collaborating with government departments in the coming weeks for solutions on how best to support the most vulnerable businesses and employers in Irish hospitality,” Cummins said.
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