Aubrey McCarthy (Independent)

As the Leas-Chathaoirleach said, when running an SME in Ireland, pride may be one of the reasons you keep open. Your family may have done it for generations. I run a restaurant in Naas. We are full every day so everybody thinks we are coining it. Staff wages are going up, and we have amazing staff and want to appreciate them. VAT, wages, rent, insurance and other costs of running a business are among the highest in Europe. What single policy change could help SMEs? Many have six months of a window before they go under. In the Seanad, I hear regularly about multinationals, the Apple money and all these big fellas but I know the backbone of the economy is small and medium businesses. How can they be supported by a single policy change?