Business News

Donohoe defends 10% stamp duty proposal on bulk buying

19th May 2021

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has defended the decision to exempt apartments from the Government’s proposal to introduce a stamp duty charge of 10% on the purchase of ten or more houses. He said the reason it is a house-focused measure is because he is “genuinely convinced” that if apartments were brought into the scheme, […]

Claims on health insurance plans fall by almost a third

18th May 2021

THERE has been a sharp drop in the number of claims made on health insurance plans due to the pandemic restrictions. The Covid-19 outbreak has also seen the number of people with private health cover rise to 2.3 million, which represents 46pc of the population. An additional 38,000 people took out a health insurance plan […]

Property transactions up 12% to €4.2bn despite pandemic

23rd April 2021

New data from the Property Price Register shows that the volume of residential transactions rose 12% in the first three months of the year, despite the lockdown. According to Davy, €4.2bn of transactions involving 13,100 properties have been recorded so far this year, with buyers clearly undeterred by the difficult environment for buying. “Estate agents […]

Why is Ireland seen as unattractive by banks?

19th April 2021

Ulster Bank, Bank of Scotland Ireland, Rabobank, Danske Bank, and more. There have been plenty of lenders who have dipped their toes in the Irish banking sector, only to discover in recent years that the temperature of the water is not to their liking, and disappear. And now it seems one more may be about […]

Why is Ireland seen as unattractive by banks?

19th April 2021

Ulster Bank, Bank of Scotland Ireland, Rabobank, Danske Bank, and more. There have been plenty of lenders who have dipped their toes in the Irish banking sector, only to discover in recent years that the temperature of the water is not to their liking, and disappear. And now it seems one more may be about […]

European Commission approves €60m scheme for Irish SMEs

7th April 2021

The European Commission has approved a €60 million scheme to support small and medium-sized Irish businesses impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The ‘Small Business Assistance Scheme for Covid’, will be open to companies in all sectors, except financial institutions and companies operating in the primary production of agricultural products, fisheries or aquaculture sectors. In order […]

European Commission approves €60m scheme for Irish SMEs

7th April 2021

The European Commission has approved a €60 million scheme to support small and medium-sized Irish businesses impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The ‘Small Business Assistance Scheme for Covid’, will be open to companies in all sectors, except financial institutions and companies operating in the primary production of agricultural products, fisheries or aquaculture sectors. In order […]

Half of restaurants face permanent closure due to pandemic, says RAI

23rd March 2021

Half of restaurants face permanent closure in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the lobby group which represents the industry.  The Restaurants Association of Ireland will tomorrow call for the VAT reduction from 13.5% to 9%, which was introduced late last year, to remain in place until 2025.  It will also demand that […]

Euro zone inflation holds steady before expected spike

2nd March 2021

Euro zone inflation held steady as expected last month, taking a break in what is likely to be a temporary but sharp spike in consumer prices in the coming months, data showed today.  Prices in the euro zone rose by 0.2% on the month in January and 0.9% compared to a year earlier, in line […]

Euro zone inflation holds steady before expected spike

2nd March 2021

Euro zone inflation held steady as expected last month, taking a break in what is likely to be a temporary but sharp spike in consumer prices in the coming months, data showed today.  Prices in the euro zone rose by 0.2% on the month in January and 0.9% compared to a year earlier, in line […]