Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Groceries Sector: Discussion (Resumed)
10:40 am
Mr. Donald Mackay:
I am quoting others when I say that it is something like 18% more expensive than other European countries and 14% more expensive than Northern Ireland. The reason for the difference, in my opinion, is the input costs to which I have already referred. There are real input costs here that are higher than in those other countries. There are also higher taxes here than in the other countries in which we operate. VAT is higher here, as is alcohol duty. There are reasons for the differences in the price but in this market, we are leading the way in terms of offering value for money.
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