Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate there is a range of bills that have to be paid by businesses, as someone who was formerly self-employed and used to pay a VAT bill, I can say there is a huge difference at the end of a period in having to pay €10,000 or having to pay €15,000. Effectively that is what has happened now by increasing from 9% to 13.5% in some cases. I urge the Minister to look at it again. I know that the mandarins in the Department would baulk at the idea of a one-off Finance Bill. They will say that bombs will be going off in Dublin and such things. That does not happen. It did not happen the last time we did it in 2011. It is never the wrong time to do the right thing. In particular, as we are heading into what will be a challenging and difficult season in 2024, this would be the appropriate measure to take to try to stimulate and save many of the businesses that are currently just hanging on.

I urge the Minister and his colleagues to please revisit this issue and give it serious consideration. It would be the right thing to do economically and the right thing to do for all the people working in those sectors and for the employers. It would be sensible.

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