Archive for September 2021

Asking prices for homes in the third quarter were up 9% across the country compared to the same period last year, according to two separate reports by property websites myhome.ie and daft.ie. It compares to a rate of 13% in the second quarter of the year, suggesting the rate of increase is moderating. “The latest…

 Bank of Ireland has blamed state-imposed curbs on bankers’ pay and bonuses for the announcement that its chief financial officer Myles O’Grady would leave the bank for a role outside the financial sector. Mr O’Grady is expected to leave Bank of Ireland in March 2022 and a process to appoint his successor will now start.…

New figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland show that mortgage approvals fell by 9.2% in August following a record high in July. But mortgage approvals continued to show growth on an annual basis, rising by 18% in August compared to the same month last year. Banking and Payments Federation Ireland said that a total…

The Tánaiste has told business leaders that he is confident that the Government is in a position to include a pension, welfare and personal income tax package in next month’s Budget and needs to. Leo Varadkar also said that index linking income tax credits and bands is in the Programme for Government and that to…

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has told the Dáil that there will be an increase in the minimum wage in the coming year. Mr Varadkar said there would be pay increases in most parts of the economy and that was why indexation of tax bands was required. He said these are not tax cuts and just ensured…

The British-Irish Chamber of Commerce has called for the establishment of a “Shared Island Fund” to help boost the economic relationship between Ireland and the UK post-Brexit. In its pre-budget submission, the Chamber said the fund could help traders and encourage research partnerships. It also called for targeted supports for agri-food firms, and the expansion…

Nearly a third of business leaders say the requisite skills and experience on the board of their organisation have changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is according to the latest Director Sentiment Monitor research, published by the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Ireland today. The monitor also found that business leaders identify increased demand over…

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has spoken with the US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about the current OECD process that aims to reform global corporation tax rules. Mr Donohoe described the call as “constructive” and said that he and Ms Yellen had agreed to stay in contact. “The ultimate ambition for us all is to…

Issues around the cost of insurance, legal services and credit have not received the urgent attention required to support competitiveness and productivity. That is according to the state’s competitiveness watchdog, the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC). The Council also says the cost of pension auto enrolment and statutory sick pay need to be balanced…

The tourism sector will not be “healed overnight” and will continue to need support as recovery continues, Minister Catherine Martin has said. Minister Martin was speaking at an in-person conference organised by Fáilte Ireland. The event, at Dublin’s Convention Centre, is part of a drive to attract business conferences, events and meetings back into Ireland…