Fine Gael is standing up for small business

Fine Gael TDs Áine Collins, Tom Barry and Liam Twomey today (Tuesday), discussed the results of a nationwide SME survey with Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, as part of Fine Gael’s ‘Standing Up for Small Business Campaign’.

Fine Gael Parliamentary Party members have held a national conversation with small business people and the self-employed across the country to see how we can continue to work together to take advantage of the potential offered by the economic recovery that is beginning to take hold.

Fine Gael TD for Cork North West, Áine Collins, said: “My colleagues and I in the Fine Gael parliamentary party have been engaging with small and medium businesses in our constituencies throughout the country as part of the Fine Gael ‘Standing up for Small Business’ campaign.

“One of the biggest issues raised was the need to standardise the tax treatment of the self- employed and PAYE workers. 73% of respondents were strongly supportive of equalising the income tax credits available to self-employed and PAYE workers.

“The other major issue to arise in our discussions with businesses was the need for continued reductions in the general tax burden as happened in Budget 2015. 80% of our survey respondents were strongly in favour of such a move. We would like to see this process continued for Budget 2016.

“In some cases we found a lack of awareness of the supports already in existence and that many self-employed people were not aware of their rights. There is a perception that self-employed people are not entitled to social welfare protection but the latest report into the matter demonstrated that almost 9 out of every 10 self-employed people who claimed the means tested Jobseeker’s Allowance received the payment. However there is concern around the fact that self-employed people are subject to an immediate means test whereas PAYE workers can avail of social welfare for nine months before they have to undergo the means test.

Minister Noonan said: “Discussing the findings of the Fine Gael small business survey has been a useful exercise. The Government has a long term plan to continue to reduce taxes on work, to give a little back so that everyone can benefit from the economic recovery. We are committed to putting a little more money into people’s pockets, reward work, improve competitiveness and create jobs.

“It is clear from Fine Gael’s survey of SMEs across the country that tax equalisation between the self-employed and PAYE workers is an anomaly and Fine Gael in Government will address this anomaly over a number of budgets commencing next October.

“My colleague Minister Richard Bruton has already done an incredible amount of work in this area. Over 100,000 new jobs have been added to economy since its launch in 2012.  Fine Gael is the pro-enterprise party and we want to support small businesses to prosper and take advantage of the economic recovery. This will help us to meet our target of replacing all the jobs lost in the economic crash by 2018.”

 Notes to editors:

• Supporting small business was identified as a key priority at the Fine Gael special Parliamentary Party meeting held in Dublin in January, 2015.
• An internal working group was subsequently set up, chaired by Áine Collins TD and also including Liam Twomey TD and Tom Barry TD. The composition of the group had its genesis in a Fine Gael internal jobs committee in December, 2014 where all three members first expressed their interest in such an initiative.
• The group first set about meeting with various stakeholders to establish how Government can better support small business and the self-employed.  Ten such meetings were held between February and April, 2015. The group also officially launched the ‘Standing Up For Small Business’ campaign in Krüst Bakery, Dublin, along with An Taoiseach, on March 31st, 2015. 
• Following on from these stakeholder meetings, an online survey was designed and circulated by individual TDs to small businesses in their constituencies. The survey was also freely accessible via the Fine Gael website and was promoted via social media channels.
• The survey went live on March 30th and remained open until the end of June.
• This survey yielded 335 responses from small businesses around the country and a mixture of quantitative and qualitative data.
• This data gathering was supplemented by qualitative oral and written feedback from businesses to Parliamentary Party members.