RGDATA today urged the Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation that reinstating the 4.25% Employers' PRSI in a bid to retain jobs in towns and villages across Ireland.
Tara Buckley, director general of RGDATA, told the committee that “the reintroduction of the 8.5% Employers’ PRSI for workers earning less than €356 since 1 January this year has added €20,000 - €80,000 to RGDATA members’ wage bills. This money has to come from the wages bill so it adds up to a lot of hours and a lot of jobs in the retail sector.
“2,200 further retail jobs have been lost [according to] the most recent CSO statistics. Reinstate this lower rate of Employers’ PRSI and independent retailers will create new jobs.”
RGDATA also claimed that retailers have not seen evidence of the 25% reduction is business regulation costs promised by policy makers.
“All we hear about is new, additional charges or red tape,’ said Buckley. “We understand that the Health Minister was at the Cabinet meeting today seeking to impose an additional new annual tobacco licence costing €500 - €1,000, even though retailers are already registered and regulated by the Office for Tobacco Control and have paid a €50 fee.”
“Let business people get on with running their businesses, creating new employment and serving their communities. The State needs to take a light touch to adding any new rules, regulations or costs that impact on the sector. Local authorities need to adopt a more holistic approach to town centre management and retail and demonstrate to people that they are getting value for their rates spend.”
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Charlie Burns
