News

There was a significant increase in mortgage approvals in September, but the value of mortgages drawn down in the latest quarter was still down significantly on the same period last year. That is according to the latest figures from the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, which show that first time buyers still account for the bulk of […]

Tax practitioners have written to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to urgently seek some temporary mechanism to ease custom disruption between Ireland and Northern Ireland at the start of next year. Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI), which represents accountants on both sides of the Irish border, said that every option possible must now be considered given […]

THOUSANDS of self-employed people and PAYE workers with non-taxed income have an extra four weeks to file a tax return. Some 500,000 people pay and file a return each year. Brokers Ireland has advised taxpayers who are due to make payments to Revenue to take the opportunity to save some of the tax they owe […]

British retail sales beat expectations in September to cap a record quarter of growth that took total sales volumes further above their pre-pandemic level, but rising Covid cases risk crimping demand going forward.  UK retail sales volumes expanded by 1.5% in September alone and are 4.7% higher than a year earlier. This was the largest annual […]

The Minister for Foreign Affairs has called on all Irish businesses who rely on suppliers, producers, clients and customers from the UK to immediately check on their preparations for Brexit. Simon Coveney said that while the UK officially left the EU at the end of January this year, the real impact of Brexit has been […]

Post-Brexit trade talks between the UK and European Union will continue in London as Michel Barnier said both sides have a “common responsibility” to strike a deal. The European Union’s chief negotiator is expected to continue discussions with his UK counterpart David Frost as the deadline for an agreement looms. Talks had been in limbo after […]

The Tánaiste has said the framework for the upcoming National Economic Plan would have to be based on the wisdom of managing the public finances soundly. Launching a stakeholders engagement workshop for the strategy – due to be published next month, Leo Varadkar said the State had entered the pandemic with the public finances in […]

The pound slipped slightly this morning, but remained close to six-week highs it touched on the previous day after news that stalled Brexit negotiations were due to resume.  Sterling rose by as much as 1.7% against the dollar yesterday after the European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said that an EU-UK deal was “within reach”. […]

EU and UK negotiators will resume talks in London later today after both sides agreed to set out an intensified schedule of negotiations in the coming weeks. A joint statement issued last night effectively removed a threat by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to end the talks completely and to prepare the UK for a […]

HALF of those claiming the pandemic unemployment payment will get a €50 increase in their payment bringing it to €350 a week. A total of 122,000 people will benefit from the hike in payment from next week. The top rate at the moment is €300 a week so the increase will mean they get an extra […]