Kilkenny businesses to benefit from new reopening support scheme

Kilkenny businesses have received a boost after the Government confirmed an extension of Covid-19 supports and details of a new scheme to help struggling firms.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe yesterday announced a set of measures to provide support to businesses as they reopen and resume normal trading.

The measures are aimed at providing certainty to businesses as public health restrictions are lifted and allows them to plan for the future as they resume normal trading.

The new measures include:

• The extension of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme to 31 December 2021;
• The extension of the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme providing additional support to businesses upon re-opening – (up to €30,000);
• The introduction of the new Business Resumption Support Scheme (BRSS) for businesses with reduced turnover as a result of public health restrictions to be implemented in September 2021;
• The extension of the tax debt warehousing scheme to the end of 2021 for all eligible taxpayers, with an interest free period during 2022.

The new BRSS is being introduced for vulnerable but viable businesses, whose turnover reduced by 75% between September 1, 2020 up to August 31, 202, when compared with 2019.

The Government also announced an extension of the current commercial rates waiver for an additional 3 months, covering July to September.

Minister Donohoe said: “The Government and I have committed on multiple occasions that there will be no cliff edge to supports for business.

“We are now taking decisive actions to provide businesses with clarity and certainty on their situation as they reopen, as far as it is possible to do so with the uncertain situation in relation to public health.”