"October may be too late" for publicans, who are calling on the government to reduce the rate of VAT on fuel which they say is "excessive".
They claim pubs will be forced to close down if the government waits until October's budget to intervene.
That's according to the Chairperson of the Cork City and County branch of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, Michael O'Donovan.
He says rising expenses mean that pubs, many of which rely on the summer to carry them through the rest of the year, won't have the means to keep going.
Speaking to RedFM News, Michael O'Donovan says that vintners need urgent help and certainty:
"At present, the VAT rate on food is 9%. It is there until next February, but we're asking the government to give certainty and give that until 2025/26. But in the short to medium term. We're asking the government really to have a look at the VAT rate on electricity and on gas to try and help some of the costs that we have. Government are taking excessive VAT on fuel, on electricity and on gas. And we're asking them to have a look at that because the next three months are critical for a lot of our members to survive in the winter, so waiting until October to do a budget ... October may be too late".
