Home

Committee urges 9% VAT until 2025

An Oireachtas committee has called on the Government to extend the reduced 9 per cent rate of VAT out to 2025 to help hospitality and entertainment businesses recover from timfenn0218

the “devastating” effects of the pandemic.

In a report on the two sectors, the committee on tourism, culture, arts, sport and media has made 27 recommendations stretching from financial supports and consumer spending initiatives to reform of legislation and guidelines.

Fianna Fáil TD Niamh Smyth, who chairs the committee, said the sectors had “suffered immense adversity” as a result of the pandemic.

The Irish Hotels Federation has welcomed the report , in particular its recommendations in relation to the extension of the tourism VAT rate of 9% to 2025, as well as an extension to the Local Authority waiver and the doubling of the COVID Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS). Tim Fenn, Chief Executive stated: “The certainty over the 9% VAT rate is vitally important. Many hotels are already contracting for international business up to two years out. Our current 9% VAT rate has only been committed to until September 2022. This is causing confusion in our highly competitive international marketplace and particularly as we seek to restore international connectivity to our island nation and rebuild international tourism against the backdrop of this pandemic. The 9% VAT rate is proven to be the right rate of VAT vis a vis our European competitors.”

President Signs Dining Bill

The restaurant and pub sectors are eagerly awaiting Government guidelines on how indoor hospitality will operate from Monday.. President Higgins

The new measures will allow those who are vaccinated against Covid-19, or have recently recovered from the virus, and their children to eat and drink indoors.

President Michael D Higgins yesterday signed the Health Amendment Bill into law, paving the way for the resumption of indoor hospitality from Monday.

It is understood that under the guidelines drawn up by the Indoor Hospitality Guidelines Group, there will be no limit on the length of time customers can remain in a premises.

Face coverings will have to be worn by customers moving around indoors, and digital and paper vaccine certificates will be accepted on entry.

In addition, there will be no bar service, with six people allowed to eat at a table indoors.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) has called for the immediate publication of the guidelines.

RAI Chief Executive Adrian Cummins said 180,000 workers were depending on the new guidelines to allow for the safe and secure reopening of the sector.

Rozzers is Trip Advisor Favourite

Rozzers restaurant at Killeen House Hotel in Killarney has been voted 'Most Loved Hotel in Ireland' by Trip Ad killeenhouse0721 visor reviewers.

The top restaurant in Europe is the Old Stamp House in Ambleside, England.

Other restaurants in the Irish section of the awards are :

2: Mulcahy's Bar and Restaurant, Kenmare

3. Paradiso Restaurant, Cork

4.Chart House, Dingle

5. Dax, Dublin.

6. Sole, Dublin

7. Mulberry Garden, Donnybrook, Dublin

8. Chapter One, Dublin

9.An Port Mór, Westport

10. Campagne, Kilkenny

Guilbaud records heavy loss

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, last year recorded losses of €662,998 due to the pandemic.

A note on the accounts filed by the restaurant’s company Becklock, co-owner of the two star Michelin restaurant, Patrick Guilbaud, said “We have to rebuild the business from now when the Government allows us to re-open.”

The post tax losses of €662,998 follow years of record profits where the restaurant, housed in the five star Merrion hotel in Dublin, recorded post tax profits of €873,643 in 2019 and €524,952 in 2018

Ahead of the anticipated full re-opening of indoor hospitality next Monday, Patrick Guilbaud said the restaurant was “ very busy bookings wise.” “We had a good business before and I don’t see why we won’t have a good business when we come back.”

Airport Taxi Hailing Rise

New data from Ireland’s ride hailing app FREE NOW reveals that foreign travel is back on the cards for many Irish people as ride hailing requests to Dublin airport soared by 80% taxi

from the previous week – increasing by 170% compared to the same week in 2020.

. Trip data from FREE NOW also highlights a week-on-week jump in taxi trips to Cork and Shannon airports too on the 19th and 20th of July, increasing respectively by 96% (Cork) and 65% (Shannon).

Monday, July 19th was the busiest day for airport bookings on the FREE NOW app since the start of the year, as the nation took advantage of the lifted travel ban. 4am on Monday was the busiest hour to book a taxi on FREE NOW signalling that holidaymakers were keen to make the most of their trip by getting an early start.

There was also a 95% increase in collections from Dublin airport via the FREE NOW app on Monday as many ex-pats returned home to Ireland, some for the first time in 16 months.