Accountants, dentists and GPs criticise exclusion from energy support scheme

A number of bodies representing professional services, such as dentists, general practitioners and accountants, have criticised their exclusion from a new Government scheme to help cover some of the costs of businesses’ rising energy bills.

The Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme, introduced in the recent budget, aims to cover up to 40 per cent of increases in businesses’ electricity or gas bills, up to €10,000 a month.

The scheme is for case 1 tax trading businesses, such as hotels, shops and restaurants. This means it will not be available for case 2 businesses providing professional services, such as GPs or dentists. The scheme will run until next February with payments backdated to September when it is introduced.

Fintan Hourihan, chief executive of the Irish Dental Association, said dentists were “extremely disappointed” at being excluded from the energy payments.

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The group said it would be lobbying the Government to include dentists and other case 2 businesses in the support scheme.

“Dentists have seen a significant increase in energy bills in recent times,” Mr Hourihan said. In one recent case, a dentist reported his energy bill had increased from €450 in May 2021 to more than €1,300 the same month this year.

“Apart from heating their premises, dentists operate high energy use equipment such as washer disinfectors, sterilisers, washing machines and dryers, as well as compressors and high-volume suction machines,” he said.

Mr Hourihan said it would be “very difficult” for dentists to absorb further costs without increasing prices for customers.

“We would hope this could be avoided with fair and reasonable support from the State, as it is proposing for other small businesses like coffee shops, hair salons and other retail outlets,” he said.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), which represents GPs, has also lobbied the Government to amend the scheme.

“IMO has raised the matter with the Department of Health and HSE as it is essential that GP practices and indeed all healthcare settings are supported so that they can continue to provide optimal care for patients,” a spokesman said.

Brid Heffernan, Chartered Accountants Ireland’s public policy lead, said the make-up of the scheme “unfairly discriminated” against those running professional services, such as accountants. “Many of these are precluded by law from incorporation, such as dentists, solicitors and veterinary surgeons,” she said.

“Consequently, through no choice of their own, these entrepreneurs are obliged to operate as self-employed individuals, encountering barriers in accessing the same entitlements as individuals operating through a company,” she said.

Ms Heffernan said the representative body was calling for an end to the “disparity” over which businesses were able to avail of the energy support payments.

A spokesman for the Department of Finance said the scheme would only be to “businesses that carry on a case 1 trade, are tax compliant and have experienced a significant increase in their natural gas and electricity costs”.

“The operational details of the scheme are being worked through by officials and will be available soon,” he said.