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Plan to cut fuel excise duties to go before Dáil

It is expected that a proposal will go before the Dáil today that will cut fuel costs through a reduction in excise duties. The changes would then take effect from midnight if, as expected, the Dáil passes the financial resolution. Work was ongoing at the Department of Finance late last night on proposals to decrease […]

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Euro catches a breath ahead of ECB meeting

The battered euro took a breather today ahead of this week’s European Central Bank meeting, while commodity currencies eased from recent peaks as investors reckoned war-driven surges in energy, grains and metals could crimp long-term demand. The euro hovered around $1.0913 in Asian trade, a modest recovery from Monday’s 22-month low of $1.0806. The euro […]

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New codes of practice on pay inequality and workplace harassment

Two new statutory codes of practice have been launched to help eliminate pay inequality and tackle workplace harassment and sexual harassment. The measures were developed by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The new codes of practice, published in the week of International Women’s Day, set out the procedures and steps to ensure that […]

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Investment drives euro zone Q4 GDP growth, employment up

Euro zone economic growth was driven mainly by investment and rising inventories over the last three months of 2021, as household consumption dropped because of another wave of Covid-19 infections. The European Union’s statistics office Eurostat confirmed its earlier estimates that gross domestic product in the 19 countries sharing the euro rose 0.3% on a […]

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Enhanced security for certain card payments introduced

Higher security standards for certain card payments have come into effect. The changes are part of the ongoing rollout of Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) and relate to recurring card payments such as subscriptions where the cardholder’s details are retained for future use. From today, service providers and online retailers must process these payments in line […]

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Pandemic Unemployment Payment reduced to €208 a week

The Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be reduced to €208 a week from today, in the next step in the winding down of the scheme. People who previously earned less than €151.50 per week will receive a payment of €150. The PUP was first introduced in March 2020 and at one stage it was paid at […]

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€200 electricity credit to appear on bills from next month

Measures to give electricity users a €200 credit on their bills has been signed into law and it is expected that people will start receiving the discount from next month. The €200 credit, designed to soften the blow of rising energy costs, will be listed on people’s bills as a €176.22 credit line – but […]

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Oil spikes to 2008 highs as US, Europe mull Russian oil import ban

Oil prices soared more than 9% today, touching their highest since 2008, as the US and European allies mull a Russian oil import ban and delays in the potential return of Iranian crude to global markets fuelled tight supply fears. Brent crude futures jumped $12.61, or 10.6%, to $130.72 a barrel early this morning. US […]

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Is the banking system really ready for the ‘big switch’?

This week was a busy one in the Irish banking landscape as AIB, Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB all reported annual results for 2021. There were many angles arising – from a return to profits, to the resumption of dividends, and progress on the purchase of new assets, to the reduction of the State’s […]

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Price shock from Russian invasion reverberates around world

Since the end of last summer, inflation has rebounded across our own economy as well as the rest of the euro area, the UK and the US. But this week, as the war in Ukraine became more brutal and the impact of sanctions against Russia rippled out, it became clearer that what we’ve experienced up […]

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