Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

With due respect, clearly everything I outlined in my first contribution highlighted that those business supports are only able to counteract the rising costs. They are not actually assisting businesses, which are going bust, for the want of a better expression, simply because we do not have people with high-end jobs and residual income to be able to go out and spend on a night out due to the Government's increase in the VAT rate. It is anti-competitive. We are seeing lower rates all over Europe. Regardless of the 14 countries mentioned by the Minister, some of our main destinations, including France, Italy and Spain, have much lower rates. We are trying to compete as a country. We do not have the weather. I come from the sunny south east but we have not had much sunshine. Businesses and their employees are extremely concerned. I am one of them. Unfortunately, waiting for this measure, which we have asked for before as a group and I have asked for independently, will mean it is going to be too late for many. Responsibility for that will rest strictly with what has happened during the Minister's term of office.

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