UK holiday group quits Ireland, ESRI on child poverty, and SME stimulus

Business Today: the best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

Passengers wearing protective face masks in Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport. Government messaging around the wearing of face masks has been confused, something that could be changed with a focused advertising campaign. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
Passengers wearing protective face masks in Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport. Government messaging around the wearing of face masks has been confused, something that could be changed with a focused advertising campaign. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

One of Europe's largest holiday rental businesses, Cottages.com, has announced that it is pulling out of Ireland after 26 years in another blow for the country's reeling tourism sector. Dominic Coyle reports.

More than a fifth of children could be left living in poverty in Ireland if the economy fails to recover swiftly from the Covid-19 pandemic, a study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has indicated. Eoin Burke-Kennedy has the details.

State-owned DAA, which operates Dublin and Cork airports, may have to contribute to bailing out financially-troubled Dusseldorf Airport in Germany, in which the Irish company holds a 20 per cent stake. Barry O'Halloran has the details.

The Government has been urged to introduce a suite of tax incentives to stimulate the domestic economy following the Covid-19 crisis. This includes allowing SMEs to "borrow back" taxes paid last year. Charlie Taylor has the details from a report co-authored by PwC .

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The Financial Services Union has written to Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Leo Varadkar calling for Government backing for rules on remote working, which is expected to remain a permanent feature of the economy following the Covid-19 crisis, writes Joe Brennan.

In terms of the Irish economic recovery post lockdown, the early signs are encouraging although experiences elsewhere mean we shouldn't become complacent. It could be a case of two steps forward and one step back, according to Cantillon.

In media and marketing, Bernice Harrison argues that a well resourced and focused advertising campaign would help to clear up the confusion about the value of wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, while also helping businesses who ask that their customers wear them.

In our weekly personal finance feature, Joanne Hunt looks at ways you can save money while also helping to save the planet.

In Q&A, a reader is due an inheritance from the sale of a house but wonders if taxation issues faced by two siblings who are also beneficiairies from the estate could result in Revenue having first call on the sale proceeds. Dominic Coyle has the answer.

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Ciarán Hancock

Ciarán Hancock

Ciarán Hancock is Business Editor of The Irish Times