Small businesses throughout North Tipperary will save around €50,000 each under a new 18 point plan proposed by Fine Gael. Deputy Noel Coonan believes small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of North Tipperary’s economy but the current Government is failing to support this vital sector.
“SMEs across the constituency are having an increasingly tough time due to rising costs imposed by this Government. Fianna Fáil, the Greens and Independents have hiked up the VAT rate which has driven customers North of the border. Small businesses have had to lower prices to compete and they have witnessed a fall in demand for their services. However, Fine Gael represents the light at the end of tunnel for businesses with ‘A Fresh Start for Jobs in Small Business’,” said Deputy Coonan.
Fine Gael’s proposals will save the average small business owner in the region of €50,000 per year in costs by cutting energy costs, cutting regulatory red tape and making savings driven by VAT reductions.
Combined with the Rebuilding Ireland stimulus package launched earlier this year Fine Gael’s plans will deliver 100,000 new jobs and protect 80,000 existing jobs in small businesses.
“We need to support businesses in North Tipperary in order to save jobs. That is Fine Gael’s plan. I believe that we can not tax our way out of recession and we need to keep a low-tax economy to increase consumer spending. While big multinationals like Dell in Raheen get the headlines, North Tipperary’s SME sector is also constantly hemorrhaging jobs. We desperately need to stop this flow of unemployment because North Tipperary’s economy simply cannot sustain it,” said Deputy Coonan.
Fine Gael’s proposals include:
1. PRSI exemption for staff employed over the next two years, or an alternative of a €6,000 wage subsidy per employee over the same period
2. Reduce energy costs
3. Freeze local authority rates and government charges
4. Reduce VAT rates
5. Ensure prompt payments to businesses from Government and creditors
6. Make it easier for SMEs to win public tenders
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