Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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24. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the seasonal supports available to small businesses in the food, catering, and hairdressing sectors during the 2025 Christmas period, in advance of the VAT reduction scheduled for July 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62146/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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My Government colleagues and I recognise the various challenges faced in recent years by local businesses in towns and communities across the country, with one such challenge being the cost of doing business. This particular challenge has arisen from both the wider inflationary trends and Government mandated changes in the form of improvements to working conditions across a range of areas. While there are no particular seasonal supports available, there are a range of supports available to small business across the country throughout the year.

In recognition of the challenges facing businesses in Ireland, the Government has recently published a new whole-of -Government Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity which contains a number of actions to reduce the cost of doing business in Ireland.

In response to rising costs and fulfilling a commitment made in Programme for Government 2025, my Department has established the Cost of Business Advisory Forum. The Advisory Forum is a tripartite collaboration, bringing together enterprise representative bodies, from retail and tourism to agriculture and the multinational sector, alongside Government Departments and State Agencies. It facilitates a solution-focused dialogue between businesses, policymakers, regulators and subject matters experts, who have insight into the factors driving the rising costs of business in Ireland. The Forum is scheduled to report to Government in Q1 2026.

Budget 2026 has also provided an overall package of €9.4bn. €8.1bn has been provided for public spending and €1.3bn for new tax measures. Measures which will benefit SME’s include:

• A reduction in the Hospitality VAT rate from 13.5% to 9% from 1 July 2025.
• An increase in the rate of the R&D Tax Credit from 30% to 35%, inclusion of R&D employee emoluments, and increase in the first-year payment threshold from €75,000 to €87,500.
• An increase in the CGT Revised Entrepreneur Relief lifetime limit from €1m to €1.5m
• An increase in the Employer PRSI threshold to ensure that employers do not pay the higher rate of PRSI for full-time workers earning the minimum wage.
• Extension of the KEEP scheme to 31st of December 2028.