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Our 15 point plan to support businesses

Fine Gael Ministers have been travelling around the country, listening to businesses and the challenges that they face.

When elected leader, Simon Harris promised to bring forward a package to address rising costs for small businesses and this week, he has delivered.

Our team of Ministers Peter Burke, Heather Humphreys, Patrick O’Donovan, Paschal Donohoe and Emer Higgins have been working for weeks to develop a 15 point plan, which provides certainty and some much-needed relief, based on feedback from businesses up and down this country.

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1 This Government will guarantee any new measure is assessed for its impact on small business. We will call it the SME test.

2 We will increase the employer PRSI threshold to match the recent increase in minimum wage.

3 We will pause increases in sick pay pending research by the ESRI.

4 We will reopen the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) Scheme until May 31st to give businesses a final opportunity to access this cash injection.

5 We will launch a second phase of ICOB, with businesses in the hospitality and retail sectors receiving a second payment, or double in the case of new registrations.

6 We will double the maximum grant available for the Innovation Voucher Scheme from €5,000 to €10,000.

7 We will launch the new online National Enterprise Hub for SMEs, as an online and over-the-phone one stop shop, to access information on the wide range of Government business supports available.

8 We will help you with making your business more energy efficient, by increasing the Energy Efficient Grant for small businesses to €10,000 and reducing how much a business contributes to just 25%.

9 We will widen eligibility for the Trading Online Voucher to all sectors with up to 50 employees, and double the grant to €5,000.

10 We will extend the Digital for Business Consultancy Scheme to all sectors with up to 50 employees.

11 We will increase the lending for Microfinance Ireland up to €50,000 from €25,000. This can be for cashflow or expansion.

12 We will assist small and medium businesses with the cost of training their staff.

13 We will increase the grant paid to employers who take on an apprentice.

14 We will commit to unlocking the National Training Fund to assist small and medium businesses.

15 We will launch the new ‘Ireland’s Best Emerging Entrepreneur Programme’ to encourage entrepreneurship and startups in underrepresented groups.

Small and medium businesses are the heart of our communities. They fuel local economies and provide good, stable jobs. Fine Gael backs you and your business, and we will continue to do so.