The Dublin Fine Gael TD, Ms Mary Flaherty, has urged the Minister for Finance to reduce VAT on Irish newspapers "to protect a domestic industry that is under attack from the predatory pricing of UK-based media empires".
Irish newspapers had been consistently burdened with the highest rate in Europe of VAT on cover prices, 12.5 per cent, she said. The British newspapers which engaged in aggressive below-cost marketing in Ireland were not subject to VAT in their country of origin.