Strong VAT receipts linked to the Christmas trading period and inflation have boosted the Government’s finances at the start of the year. As Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports, the latest exchequer returns show the sales tax generated just €3.8 billion in January, up 4 per cent or €148 million on the same month last year. Eoin also breaks down the numbers and shows why strong vat receipts may not necessarily be good news for the economy.
The banking industry’s main lobbyist has written to the Government warning that delays in a database that would allow lenders to share data about fraud in real time leaves them vulnerable to such a crime. Jonathan Keane has the details.
Starting a business in 2024? It’s not always as glamorous as it may appear at first. Brianna Parkins offers a rough guide.
The Government has put too much focus on bicycle lanes to the detriment of the State’s “appalling” infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs), the chief executive of Ireland’s biggest importer and distributor of commercial vehicles has said. Colin Gleeson reports.
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One of the State’s largest energy providers is to clip the cost of domestic energy by as much as 25 per cent in a move which will mean some customers’ gas and electricity bills fall by more than €700. Conor Pope reports.
Declan Ganley has agreed to make arrangements to sell a pub and four acres of land in Galway for a total price not less than €189,250, as part of a nearly $20 million (€18.6 million) debt dispute in the US. Barry J Whyte has the story.
A Co Kerry “sea to fork” seafood company is to significantly expand its operations after completing a €400,000 investment in the business. Colin reports that The Fish Box restaurant and takeaway, based in Dingle, is using the investment to put a food truck on the road, introduce a fresh fish counter and add solar panels as part of a drive to be more energy efficient. The family-run business was formed five years ago.
Dublin City Council has refused planning permission to a 941 bed-space student accommodation scheme for a site at Gowan House on Dublin’s Naas Road after concluding that it “fails to align with the principle of a 15-minute city”. Gordon Deegan has the details.
Chinese shares surged on Tuesday amid signs of Beijing’s determination to arrest a massive sell-off that saw the country’s main indexes fall to five-year lows. The rally followed a promise by a state investment fund to buy more share index funds and a statement by the country’s security regulator saying that other institutional investors should follow suit. Denis Staunton in Beijing has the story.
Ryanair has “sincerely and unreservedly apologised” before the High Court to a quantity surveyor it accepts was incorrectly banned from flying with it. Aodhan O’Faolain was in court.
Irish grocery inflation has continued to fall with the latest figures from retail analysts Kantar World Panel putting the rate in the four weeks to January 21st at 5.9 per cent. That compares to inflation of 7.1 per cent in December and a rate of 16.4 per cent in March of last year. Conor reports.
The scale of the challenges faced by small businesses was entirely predictable given increases to the minimum wage, restoration of the 13.5 per cent hospitality sector VAT rate and other cost increases that have resulted from Government policy measures, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association has said. Emmet Malone reports.
In commercial property, Ronald Quinlan reports on a ready to go site in Tyrellstown that would be suitable for a retail centre has hit the market, while Richmond Marketing has pre-let a new logistics facility in CityWest outside Dublin.
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