News

No fireworks’ and no ‘big bonanza’ in Budget 2018 – Leo Varadkar

Budget 2018 will have ” no fireworks” and no “big bonanza”, according to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. But he said the series of tax and spending measures will ensure the country’s books are balanced, as well as giving a little back to hard working families. Speaking on his way into government buildings ahead of Cabinet, Mr […]

Continue Reading

Telephone Allowance gets priority over Bereavement Grant in Budget 2018

The Telephone Allowance is to be brought back from October 2018, Independent.ie has learned. A decision was taken to prioritise the allowance which was abolished in 2014 over the restoration of the €850 bereavement grant. Independent Alliance ministers had sought both payments to be included in today’s budget but were told by Finance Minister Paschal […]

Continue Reading

Budget 2018: Modest tax cuts, €5 welfare hikes from March on cards as discussions down to wire

Tomorrow’s budget will be the first of a series that will attempt to gradually increase living standards over a number of years, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said. Mr Varadkar is seeking to cast Budget 2018 as the beginning of a period of continuous but affordable reductions in tax and increases in spending. The Taoiseach told […]

Continue Reading

Everything you need to know ahead of Leo’s first budget

Budget 2018 will prove an important test for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and will be his first chance to show what the government has in store to further his vision for a ‘republic of opportunity’. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the big day. His name is on it: Sixteen weeks after he […]

Continue Reading

With just days to go…everything we know ahead of Budget 2018

With just days to go and negotiations on some aspects of the budget down to the wire here is everything we know so far about what to expect when Paschal Donohoe presents Budget 2018 on Tuesday. Tax cuts A cut to the much-hated USC and a tweaking of income tax bands will be included in […]

Continue Reading

Food for thought when raising funding for new equipment

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 […]

Continue Reading

Haven cuts its mortgage rates for new and existing borrowers

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 […]

Continue Reading

Huge build-up of tax appeal cases

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 […]

Continue Reading

Economy will suffer unless we can make Ireland a better place to live and work

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. […]

Continue Reading

Almost 5,000 rental properties in the pipeline for South Dublin

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 […]

Continue Reading