Target of 900K electric vehicles by 2030 difficult – industry experts
Getting 900,000 electric vehicles on Irish roads to slash transport emissions by the end of the decade will be difficult if current levels of cars sales continue, Morning Ireland has learned. Brian Cooke, Director General of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry [SIMI], told the programme that reaching the 2030 target – as set […]
30% of households have filed Local Property Tax return
Around 30% of households liable for the Local Property Tax have filed their return, ahead of the deadline which is just over a week away. Revenue said around 95% of those returned were filed online in either My Account, ROS or the LPT Online Portal. The deadline for filing is 7 November. “Before submitting the […]
Ulster Bank urges customers to get ready for changes
Ulster Bank is encouraging customers to get ready for changes coming next year as part of the bank’s withdrawal from the Irish market, which was first announced in February. But the bank said it is continuing to serve its existing customers, so no action is required by them yet. Ulster Bank said it will contact […]
Nightclub owners face fines for Covid breaches
Nightclubs and venues that breach new ticketing laws will be fined up to €2,500 under regulations which come into force today. Tickets must be purchased at least one hour in advance and contain names and phone numbers to facilitate contact tracing, while patrons should be advised their details will be held for 28 days. Under […]
Global tax rate could see Ireland collect extra €12.4bn
Ireland could collect an extra €12.4 billion in corporation tax under the proposed 15% global minimum rate. That’s according to figures published today by the EU Tax Observatory, an independent think-tank based in Paris that receives funding from the EU. Based on OECD tax figures for 2016 and 2017, the Observatory estimates that the rule […]
IoD: 33% of boards have no succession plan
One third of business leaders say their primary board does not have a succession plan in place to replace board members, according to new data from the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Ireland. “A board with no succession plan is not future-proofing its business nor planning for the board diversity which is essential for an […]
Changes to employment permit system to address shortages
Changes are being introduced to the employment permit system to allow a greater number of workers from outside the European Economic Area work here. The changes will include the removal of quotas for HGV drivers, as well as additional permits for hospitality managers and a loosening of the rules for construction workers, opticians and meat […]
Farming – a big problem for Ireland’s climate goals?
According to Teagasc, the semi-state agency that advises the agriculture industry, dairy farming is the most profitable of Ireland’s mainstream agricultural enterprises. Data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that, in 2020, the number of dairy cows on Irish farms rose for the 10th consecutive year, climbing by 3.2%. Profits in the sector are […]
Progress on talks over collective bargaining rights – ICTU
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions says some progress has been made in talks with the government on collective bargaining rights, which is one of the main issues on the agenda for discussion during ICTU’s two day biennial conference in Belfast. ICTU delegates will discuss a number of motions on collective bargaining rights tomorrow. Speaking […]
Third quarter mortgage drawdowns jump by 40.9% – BPFI
New figures show that the volume of new mortgages drawn down in the third quarter of this year jumped by 40.9% compared to the same time last year. Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) said a total of 11,479 new mortgages, worth €2.784 billion, were drawn down by borrowers during the third quarter of 2021- […]
EU to discuss gas supply crisis and electricity prices
European energy ministers are holding a special meeting in Luxembourg to try to forge agreement on how to emerge from the current crisis in gas supplies, and the knock-on effect to electricity prices. Ireland has joined eight other mostly northern European countries in rejecting calls for a wholesale reform of the single energy market, or […]
Consumer confidence slipped in October – BOI Economic Pulse
Consumer confidence slipped in October, according to the latest Pulse survey from Bank of Ireland, which found that consumers were more concerned about rising prices. The Bank of Ireland Economic Pulse posted a reading of 87.6 in October 2021. The index, which combines the results of the Consumer and Business Pulses, was down 0.6 on […]
Recommendation on minimum pay rates for construction workers approved
A Labour Court recommendation for new minimum pay rates to workers in the construction sector has been formally approved by Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail Damien English. The Sectoral Employment process is a statutory wage setting mechanism based on the principles of collective bargaining. It provides an independent assessment of pay rates […]
65% of companies increased pay rates in 2021 – Ibec
65% of companies increased basic pay this year, with an average increase of 2.8%, the latest Ibec HR Update Survey shows. The figures are higher than had been expected in the business group’s 2020 report, which Ibec said is indicative of the ongoing economic recovery. The proportion of employers awarding pay increases will be 75% […]
Consumer confidence holds steady in October
Consumer confidence held steady in October, according to latest KBC Bank Ireland consumer sentiment index. The reading for this month stood at 86.8, effectively unchanged from the figure of 86.4 reported for September. This follows a pattern of broadly stable sentiment numbers for the past six months. Despite a relatively healthy reading for October, the […]
Late night entertainment reopens at 100% capacity
Late night entertainment is set to reopen across the country tonight, after new safety guidelines were signed-off between the Government and industry representatives. Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin said she was striking a balance between protecting public health and assisting the nightclub and live venue industry, which had been […]
Health Insurance Authority proposes reduction to health insurance levy
Health insurance premiums look set to decrease as a result of the Health Insurance Authority’s recommendation of a one-off cut to the health insurance levy paid by insurers. The HIA has proposed to the Minister for Health that 10% or €45 be taken off the levy on advanced products and 22% or €35 should be […]
Banks lobby to link accountability laws to lifting of bonus ban
Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) has warned members of the Oireachtas finance committee that planned new laws to make it easier to hold financial firm managers accountable for failings under their watch “cannot operate effectively” as long as a ban on bonuses remains in place. The comments were contained in a 15-page submission to […]