Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is no exaggeration to say that smaller businesses are the lifeblood of the country. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises provide employment for more than 1.2 million people. They are at the heart of every city and town, down to the smallest village. Every one of them supports employment in other enterprises which are their suppliers. Today, they are struggling. Their viability is threatened. Who in this House cannot list the names of a dozen or more enterprises in their constituencies that have closed in recent years because they just could not remain economically viable? Dozens more are struggling to keep their doors open in the hope that something will change to help them to survive. These are not just faceless businesses but enterprises at the very heart of our communities. Businesses like the local shop, hairdresser and café offer vital employment to hundreds of thousands of people, often in areas where there is no major source of employment and the nearest large employer is many miles away. These people are keeping our communities alive. They are keeping our little villages and towns vibrant, and not just a collection of buildings.

I have to acknowledge the supports the Government put in place during the Covid pandemic. Without that support, many businesses would not have survived. They need Government support again now. That is why I will expect the Minister's support on Wednesday, 14 February for a Private Members' motion tabled by Deputy Shanahan and my colleagues in the Regional Group for the establishment of a special task force, to include representatives of micro and small businesses and Government Departments and agencies, which will be asked to review all government-controlled charges, remove unnecessary red tape, reduce the cost of doing business and be involved in the drawing up of future Government policy impacting this sector. We will also seek immediate measures such as reducing the VAT rate for food businesses in the hospitality sector, adjusting the employers' PRSI higher rate threshold to reflect the increase in the national minimum wage and speeding up the work permit process. Will the Minister and the Government support and implement our Private Members' motion coming before the house on Wednesday, in which we will call on the Government to reduce VAT from 13.5% to 9% and to cut PRSI rates for struggling SMEs by Easter?

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