John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Since 2020, Irish businesses - small and micro - have suffered because of Covid-19, the wars, the cost of living and now the refugee issue. Big Government is ruining small businesses. They complain to me about red tape and bureaucracy and the heavy-handed nature of the approaches from Revenue because of the warehousing of debt. The banks are not lending in the way they should and businesses are saying the decisions of Government are adding further to the cost of doing business in Ireland. I want to make a case to the Taoiseach for a special effort to be made by Government to reach out to the small and microbusinesses, which are part and parcel of every high street and main street in villages, towns and cities throughout the country. They give great employment and they are now suffering. I believe we will see a considerable number of businesses in difficulty over the course of the next year.

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