Standing up for small business

In order to achieve full employment by 2018, we have to support small businesses. Over the coming weeks, Fine Gael will be engaging with small business owners and self-employed people across the country the help businesses embrace the recovery. Strong growth in jobs is funding tax cuts on working people. And less tax on work in turn means more jobs.

Our goal for this year is to raise living standards, create jobs and improve the public finances. We will also begin the process of equalising the income tax treatment of the employed and the self-employed. Fine Gael has always been the pro-enterprise party. In government we have cut red tape for business, whilst the ‘Supporting SMEs Online Tool’ brings together over 80 Government business supports into one website to help small business navigate and avail of the supports available to them.

Everyone, including small businesses and the self-employed, is paying less tax as a result of last October’s budget. Fine Gael intends for this to continue. But despite the progress we’ve made, we can still do more for small businesses. We are going to engage directly with businesses, in every constituency in the country, to seek their views. The results of our findings will inform our policies ahead of the General Election next year.

Small business is the cornerstone of the sustainable economy we are building and I and my colleagues will stand up for small businesses in cities, towns and villages across Ireland.

To see the campaign video, click here.

And for more information, click here.