Ireland: Implications of support measures for retailers ending (COVID-19)
Various support measures for Irish retailers introduced in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are coming to an end
Implications for businesses to consider
Various support measures for Irish retailers introduced in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are coming to an end, and businesses need to consider the implications.
Employment support
The Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme ceased operation for the majority of businesses at the end of April 2022. However, the government will continue issuing ongoing compliance checks after the scheme has ended, so retailers need to maintain a comprehensive, robust file to support their eligibility under the scheme.
Further, a number of temporary employment tax concessions introduced at the early stages of the pandemic have recently been withdrawn, so Irish retailers need to familiarize themselves with these changes to ensure they are not relying on COVID-19 concessions which are no longer available in practice.
Tax debt warehousing
The tax debt warehousing scheme allowed businesses to defer for a period of 12 months payment of certain “pay as you earn” (PAYE) tax and value added tax (VAT) debts that arose during the period when a business’ ability to trade was impacted by COVID-19-related restrictions.
Zero interest will accrue on such tax debts until the end of 2022 (or until 30 April 2023 for businesses impacted by the public health restrictions introduced in December 2021). A rate of 3% per annum will apply thereafter.
Retailers still facing difficulty
Retailers who continue to experience difficulties in meeting their filing and payment obligations are encouraged to contact Ireland Revenue to resolve these difficulties and discuss the possibility of putting in place a tailored payment arrangement over an agreed timeframe.
Read a May 2022 report prepared by the KPMG member firm in Ireland
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