Archive for March 2023

The Government has announced temporary changes to how Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) is charged on company cars and vans, after complaints that reforms introduced at the start of the year were leading to big increases in tax bills for those driving them. The changes that took effect from January 1st saw a shift to a new BIK…

Shoppers spent an additional €113.56 per buyer in the 12 weeks to February 19 compared with the same time last year, new figures from Kantar show today. The increase comes as grocery price inflation hit a new record high of 16.4% in the latest 12 week period, up from a rate of 2.4% the same…

Listed companies here have on average 32% female representation at board level, new figures from the Balance for Better Business Review Group show. For the first time, Ireland is included in the list of top 10 countries in the EU for female board representation. However, the pace of progress in achieving gender balance at the…

74% of Irish consumers expect rising costs to impact their summer holiday plans for this year, according to new research by global tech company Wise. When respondents factored in travel, accommodation and general spending, they expect to spend on average €2,800. Half of those surveyed plan to use their savings to pay for their trip,…

2022 was a pretty dismal year for equity markets. Having kicked January off at all-time highs, stock valuations rapidly went south as inflation precipitated a round of interest rate increases, the likes of which hadn’t been seen in decades. On top of that, the outbreak of war in Ukraine contributed to an economic outlook that…

Energy concerns are to the fore among prospective house buyers, a new survey suggests, as the cost-of-living squeeze continues to bite. The property website MyHome.ie sought the views of over 2,500 people for its study which was conducted in late February. Three quarters of perspective homebuyers said they were more inclined to consider a property’s…

Up to 10,000 business people, and those hoping to establish a business, are expected to take part in more than 300 events over the coming days to mark Local Enterprise Week. The events are being organised by the network of Local Enterprise Offices around the country, which provide advice, information and support to individuals setting…

The public finances were €2.5 billion in deficit at the end of February. However, this was due to the transfer of €4 billion to the National Reserve Fund. On a twelve-month rolling basis, the Exchequer had a €1.5 billion surplus. Tax receipts overall were up €0.5 billion or 13% last month compared to February 2022.…

More than one third of employees in Ireland feel invisible or under-appreciated at work, according to a new survey. The Workhuman Human Workplace Index found that almost half of employees feel stressed at work. The findings are being published to mark Employee Appreciation Day. Over a quarter of workers surveyed said they plan to leave…

The latest AIB Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) reveals that growth in the country’s service sector picked up in February. The business activity index rose to 58.2 last month, from 54.1 in January. Readings above 50 indicate overall growth in activity. “This is the highest reading since May and points to a robust rate of…