Enterprise owners and workers from hospitality, tourism and downstream retail sectors are to take part in a protest in Dublin against the failure to reduce VAT to 9pc increases to the National Minimum Wage and paid statutory sick days
The action is organised by the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) and Vintners’ Federation of Ireland and is supported by the Irish Small and Medium Sized Enterprises association (ISME).
The organisations say the planned transition to a Living Wage and the introduction of pension auto-enrolment next year are being introduced amidst an already inflationary cost environment.
Adrian Cummins, chief executive of the RAI shared: “Nearly 700 businesses have closed in the last 13 months since the VAT rate went back up to 13.5pc. “We felt that the Budget nothing major being delivered to us, and we have to take our issues to Dáil Éireann.
“Restaurateurs, small coffee shop owners and others in the hospitality industry are hard-working people operating in what is currently an incredibly challenging business environment.
“They would much rather be serving great food and welcoming guests from across the country and across the world than travelling to Dublin to protest. “Unfortunately, the lack of support for hospitality and small businesses in Budget 2025 made this demonstration inevitable.
