Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and all the staff in the Houses for the courtesy and support they have shown over the years.

Our small and medium enterprises, which are the backbone of our economy, particularly in smaller urban and rural areas, have faced particular challenges over the last few years due to increased costs. Many of those businesses fear for their viability into the future. Serious problems have now arisen for a large percentage of them in accessing the new power up grant of €4,000. The first increased cost of business scheme, ICOB, had 17 categories and paid 50% of the rates of a business. ICOB 2 paid 50% of rates as well but the 17 categories were reduced to two, namely, accommodation and food service, and wholesale and retail. Only the businesses that had classified themselves within those two categories in ICOB 1 got ICOB 2. The businesses within the other 15 classifications did not get any notification that they were ineligible for ICOB 2 and many did not follow up as, in many instances, only small payments were due because their rates bills were relatively small. Now, businesses that received ICOB 1 but not ICOB 2 are not eligible to apply for the much better power up grant of €4,000 announced in the recent budget. This is devastating for many businesses and must be changed. The Department must ensure that all businesses that got ICOB 1 get the power up grant. These businesses were not informed about the changes and they need this financial support. This morning, I received many calls from small businesses which put themselves in the classification they thought was right. There were 17 classifications and a business could easily fit into one of those categories. A decision was made at administrative level which is totally unfair. It must be changed immediately.

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