TRALEE Chamber has made a pre-budget submission highlighting the ongoing and escalating challenges facing retailers and small independent businesses across Tralee and the wider North Kerry region.
The submission, to both the Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, notes rising labour costs, additional employee benefits, soaring operational costs, town centre crime rates, and the importance of reinstating the 9% VAT rate for businesses as crucial issues currently facing local businesses.
The Chamber believes that the impact of these challenges is devastating to the local economy and has resulted in the closure of several retailers and independent businesses, not just in Tralee, but in town centres throughout Ireland, seeing a vast increase in town centre vacancy and dereliction which needs to be fixed.
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In the submission to the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Tralee Chamber has called on the Government to commit to the following requests:
• A review and adjustment of the pace of minimum wage increases to better align with economic realities facing small businesses
• The introduction of a zero-cost policy for the first three days of statutory sick pay
• Targeted financial supports for small businesses to help manage the costs of extended parental leave and the upcoming auto-enrolment pension scheme
• Government interventions to stabilise energy and insurance costs, as well as the escalating prices of raw materials
• Reinstate the 9% VAT rate for businesses – this is crucial to ensure the survival of many businesses, the economy, and our communities
• An enhanced Garda presence in town centres
Tralee Chamber believes that should the Government commit to these requests, the local economies throughout the country will not only survive, but will see a return to thriving, vibrant town centres and communities, and urges the Government to take immediate and decisive action to address these issues.
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