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Spending by householders was flat last month as the bills for Christmas arrived. New figures from the Visa Consumer Spending Index show expenditure in shops was down 5pc in January, but online spending was up almost 10pc. This meant overall consumer spending was up just 0.01pc in January compared with a year ago. In a […]

With 44 days to go until the UK leaves the European Union, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he believes a deal will be reached between the two. However, he added that Ireland would continue its preparations for all possible outcomes, including a no-deal scenario. Opening the European Financial Forum in Dublin today, Mr Varadkar also […]

Europe’s second-highest court will rule tomorrow whether a Belgian tax break which benefited some 35 large companies is illegal state aid, a judgment which could provide clues to other tax cases involving Apple, Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler. As part of its crackdown on tax avoidance, the European Commission three years ago ordered Belgium to recover […]

Credit union members have reacted angrily to moves by a number of the lenders to reduce a key insurance benefit. Most credit unions offer death benefit insurance and share insurance. These provide a payment when the member dies, at no cost to the members. But the high cost of providing the cover has seen credit […]

The imposition of tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit will inevitably see consumer prices rising here, according to Retail Ireland. Thomas Burke, director of the Ibec retail industry group, said the imposition of tariffs of up to 30 or 40% on some products couldn’t be absorbed by the retail industry. The sector, he […]

How Irish policymakers manage the fall-out from Brexit – regardless of the form it takes – will be important for assessing Irish credit fundamentals into the future, according to Canadian credit rating agency DBRS. How effectively authorities use fiscal and macro-prudential policy tools to manage the eventual Brexit outcome are an important test in terms […]

Sterling extended its fall today after data showed that Britain’s economy last year grew at its slowest since 2012, with Brexit uncertainty hitting investment. The quarterly GDP numbers followed other data in recent weeks that paint a picture of a UK economy slowing into 2019 as businesses and consumers grow increasingly nervous about Britain’s departure […]

Sterling extended its fall today after data showed that Britain’s economy last year grew at its slowest since 2012, with Brexit uncertainty hitting investment. The quarterly GDP numbers followed other data in recent weeks that paint a picture of a UK economy slowing into 2019 as businesses and consumers grow increasingly nervous about Britain’s departure […]

The EU should hand back tax payments it would receive on Irish imports from the UK if there’s a no deal Brexit, a leading accountants’ group has warned. If there’s no deal the EU will get 80pc of the VAT paid by Irish firms on UK imports under WTO rules, the Association of Chartered Certified […]

With just 46 days left until the UK is due to leave the EU, a new survey in Ireland has found that more than half of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have yet to begin Brexit planning. The AIB Brexit Sentiment Index also found that the Irish tourism industry is the one already feeling the […]