News

Q: I have an early-stage food business and I am looking for an investor as I need to fund additional equipment etc? Can you direct me? A: This is a classic case of the chicken and the egg. In many cases, investors won’t invest in an early-stage business as they will need to see proof […]

Lender Haven has cut its mortgage rates for new and existing borrowers. The move follows reductions last month from its parent AIB and are similar in magnitude. The variable rate will fall by 0.25pc to 3.15pc from the start of next month for existing customers. The same rate applies for new customers from later this […]

THERE has been a call for changes to the tax appeals regime after it emerged that thousands of taxpayers are in dispute with Revenue. Such is the backlog that it could take up to 10 years to clear all the cases, the Irish Tax Institute said. The institute said radical changes to how the appeals […]

Real pressure points are forming in the economy. The favourable winds that helped bring our unemployment rate down from 15pc in 2011 to below 7pc now are shifting. One of the problems for Ireland is remaining attractive as a place to live and work. Sometimes that is about more than just wage rates or taxation. […]

Up to 4,700 residential rental units are in the pipeline for Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council area. This could generate a 29pc increase in rental accommodation units in the area where there are already 16,332 tenancies registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB). About 1,000 of these new units are earmarked for students and […]

Microsoft is to create 200 new jobs at its Inside Sales organisation in Dublin. The roles will be in the area of technical and solutions sales specialists. In addition the company is recruiting people with language capabilities and leadership experience. The new roles are in addition to the 500 jobs created by Microsoft at the […]

House prices are expected to increase by at least 10pc next year as economists warn Ireland’s housing crisis won’t be solved any time soon. Asking prices for houses in Dublin jumped by almost €40,000 in the last 12 months – or by around €107 each day – according to MyHome.ie. Meanwhile, prices around the country […]

Women get a raw deal on pensions. Fewer of them work outside the home, and they often get paid less when they do take up paid employment. Many work only part-time. All this means that the gender pay gap feeds into the pension issue. So when they get to retire they typically have a third […]

When women play a smaller role in growing the economy, we all lose out. Women make up 50pc of the population and the female employment rate is more than 55pc. Yet until a few years ago, female-led companies comprised 7pc of Enterprise Ireland’s High-Potential Startups group, just like the international average. Fewer female entrepreneurs meant […]

Large numbers of women are worried they will not have enough money when they retire, with fewer men concerned about a funds shortfall. Most women are unsure of how much they will need for a comfortable retirement, according to research from pensions provider Aviva. It showed a huge gender gap in Ireland when it comes […]