Hospitality workers are marching on the Dáil today to demand their 'broken' industry gets better support.
Publicans, hoteliers and restaurant owners says hundreds of businesses are closing because of financial pressure caused by the higher VAT rate, an increased minimum wage and their legal obligations to cover sick pay.
The industry is demanding the VAT rate be reduced to 9% again.
However Public Expenditure Minister Pascal Donohoe says they did introduce a number of support measures in Budget 2025.
"I know there was the longstanding case in relation to VAT, but any of the changes in relation to VAT would have cost many, many millions of Euro, anywhere between €600m-€800m I believe.
"That would have meant there were other things that we would not have been able to do within the budget."
