News

Local Property Tax to apply to homes built since 2013

The Cabinet has agreed that owners of new homes built since 2013 will now have to pay Local Property Tax. It follows a decision taken at a meeting to finalise the new €3.5 billion Economic Recovery Plan. Taoiseach Micheál Martin, alongside Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan announced the Government’s plan, which […]

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Govt to layout roadmap to economic recovery with plan announcement

The Government will unveil its Economic Recovery Plan later today, which is expected to lay out a roadmap for the economy as it emerges from the impact of Covid-19. There will be many different aspects to today’s Recovery Plan. Much attention will be focused on the detail of the planned withdrawal of the Pandemic Unemployment […]

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Mortgage approvals continue to grow, driven by first-time buyers

New figures show that the number of mortgages approved were up 0.9% in April on a monthly basis, while they rose by over 98% compared with the same time last year. Banking & Payments Federation Ireland said a total of 4,362 mortgages were approved in April. First-time buyers (FTBs) were approved for 54.8% of the […]

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Govt set to reduce PUP by €50 from September

The Government looks set to begin reducing the Pandemic Unemployment Payment by €50 a week from September. It’s understood that Cabinet will consider reducing the PUP by €50 from the middle of September, with a further €50 cut set for mid November before the final €50 reduction in February next year. The Government will also […]

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Momentum in economy building, Bank of Ireland’s Economic Pulse shows

Bank of Ireland’s Economic Pulse came in at 89.5 in May – back above its pre-pandemic level – which bodes well for a pick-up in spending as public health restrictions are lifted. Bank of Ireland said it had revised upwards its GDP growth forecast for 2021 to 5.8% from 5% in February. The Economic Pulse […]

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Crypto assets a great concern, says Central Bank’s Rowland

The rising popularity of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin is “of great concern” according to the Central Bank’s Derville Rowland. “Crypto assets are quite a speculative, unregulated investment,” and people should be “really aware they could lose the whole of that investment,” the Central Bank’s Director General for Financial Conduct said in an interview with Bloomberg. […]

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National Economic Plan to map out recovery plans

It is widely expected that the Cabinet will approve and publish the Government’s National Economic Plan next week. This will outline policies to promote the recovery of the economy and chart its future path. It is part of the Programme for Government and was originally expected in October. There was still a lot of uncertainty […]

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Work-life balance top well-being concern for employers

A new survey has revealed that work-life balance is the number one well-being issue Irish employers are concerned about followed closely by mental health and burnout. The 2021 Global Well-being Survey was carried out on behalf of Aon by global market research company IPSOS. It found that 70% of employers in Ireland identified work-life balance […]

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ISME dissatisfied with non-vaccinated workers’ guidance

Small firms’ body ISME has accused the Government of exposing employers to potential legal action by failing to give them “robust” guidance on handling situations where employees choose not to be vaccinated. In a letter to Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, ISME Chief Executive Neil McDonnell acknowledges the “absolute” right […]

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Deadline for annual returns extended to 11 June

The Registrar of Companies has extended the deadline for the filing of annual returns to 11 June. The Registrar said it has taken the decision to further extend the deadline, “in light of difficulties experienced by presenters in filing annual returns in the run up to the filing deadline.” The CRO said it is continuing […]

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