Archive for July 2020

In the ‘deal before dawn’ to secure a multi-billion euro Covid-19 recovery package and a €1.8 trillion budget package to see the EU through the next seven years, how did Ireland play its hand? Our reporter Eleanor Burnhill has been looking at Ireland’s potential gains and losses. Heading into his first EU summit, Taoiseach Micheál Martin indicated that Ireland would…

Small businesses spent on average €4,000 on Covid-19 measures to comply with requirements for trading, according to the Central Statistics Office. The findings of its latest survey on the impact of the pandemic on businesses, show the cost of implementing measures varied by the size of the enterprise. Micro enterprises, which have less than 10…

Around four in ten firms surveyed by the Central Bank say they have unpaid invoices. The outstanding amounts equate to about 20% of 2019 revenue, according to the regulator, which may result in increased pressure to cash flow. As many as 42% of firms said they had changed or deferred payments to manage cash flow.…

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said Ireland will make their own contribution to the “own resources” aspects of the €750 billion Covid-19 recovery fund. Speaking in Brussels ahead of an EU summit, Mr Martin said Europe needs to give far more detailed consideration to other “own resources” proposals, including for example a digital tax. “The full implications…

Europe’s stock markets opened lower, as EU leaders struggled to unite over the terms of a vast 750 billion euro post-coronavirus economic rescue plan. Investor sentiment was also dented as a spike in new Covid-19 infections forced some governments to impose fresh containment measures, notably in Australia, Hong Kong and the United States. In initial…

Oil prices fell on Monday, unnerved by the prospect that a recovery in fuel demand could be derailed by a rise in the pace of coronavirus infections around the world. Brent crude LCOc1 was down 25 cents, or 0.6%, at $42.89 a barrel, after dropping slightly last week. U.S. oil was off by 22 cents,…

The government’s Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme has now cost in excess of €2 billion, according to the latest statistics issued by the Revenue Commissioners. Around 415,000 employees are currently being directly supported by the scheme, having received a TWSS subsidy in their last payroll cycle. However, since the scheme was launched on 26 March, over 618,000…

Almost half of those working in the accountancy profession have called for greater leniency on filing deadlines, interest and penalties as companies try to cope with the effects of Covid-19, a new survey shows. The survey, conducted by Chartered Accountants Ireland among almost 2,000 members on the island of Ireland, also shows that liquidity and…

The euro zone economy may contract less this year than the European Central Bank had forecast and its recovery could also be quicker, the bank’s Survey of Professional Forecasters showed today.  The quarterly survey sees the economy shrinking by 8.3% this year. This marked a downgrade from its May projection for a 5.5% drop but a…

The European Union’s top court has fined Ireland for delays and incomplete application of the EU’s rules against money laundering and terrorist financing, it said in a statement. The EU Court of Justice ordered Ireland to pay to the European Commission a lumpsum of €2 million, while Romania was fined €3m. “Both member states failed…