10/03/2016

FF Aims To Create 250,000 New Jobs Over Five Years

Fianna Fáil is aiming to create up to 250,000 new jobs over the next five years by supporting Irish enterprises, TD for Longford – Westmeath, Robert Troy, has said.

Deputy Troy said that supporting the self-employed and small to medium-sized businesses will be a top priority for the party in the months ahead.

"One of the issues that arose again and again throughout the election was how self-employed people feel abandoned by the Government," Deputy Troy said. "I believe much more needs to be done to support self-employed people in creating employment in local communities. To help achieve this will equalise tax treatment of the self-employed by increasing the earned income tax credit by 300% to €1,650.

"I will also work with my colleagues to reform commercial rates to make the system work for small businesses. At the moment commercial rates are prohibitively high and are preventing start-up businesses from expanding. There needs to be some degree of leniency in the system to give small businesses the breathing space they need to grow.

"Fianna Fáil is also pushing for a move towards a social welfare safety net for self-employed people. Currently entrepreneurs are reluctant to commit their time and money to starting up their own business as they are fearful of not having a safety net should they fail.

"We will overcome this problem by allowing self-employed people to make full Class A PRSI contributions in order to qualify for Jobseekers Benefit and Invalidity Benefit.

"We also need to strengthen businesses operating in rural Ireland. Fianna Fáil is proposing a significant programme of investment in infrastructure, such as broadband, to ensure SME's can continue to operate in rural Ireland.

"Fianna Fáil will appoint a Minister for Rural Affairs who will have responsibility for attracting new jobs and investment into rural areas."

(MH/JP)

Related Irish News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

28 November 2018
Fianna Fáil Calls On People To Support Small Businesses
Fianna Fáil has called on the public to support small businesses by "shopping locally" this Christmas period. Making the call, Fianna Fáil Dublin Spokesperson, John Lahart, said: "Shopping locally helps to support smaller business owners who either produce their own artisan products or employ people from the area.
11 September 2015
Fianna Fáil Support Competitive Tax Environment For Job Creation
A competitive tax environment is central to support enterprise and job creation, Fianna Fáil has said. The party's finance spokesperson, Michael McGrath, said that they were committed to addressing the income tax anomaly facing the self-employed and to a new special 15% capital gains tax rate for entrepreneurs.
31 July 2019
SME's Deserve Benefits And Protections Afforded To Employees - FG
Ireland's small and medium businesses "deserve the same benefits and protections" afforded to all employees, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, has said. Describing SME's as "the backbone of our economy", Minister Doherty said: "Fine Gael is committed to creating a supportive environment for entrepreneurship.
17 September 2015
Fianna Fáil Lay Out Commitment To 'Supporting Entrepreneurship'
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has laid out his party's commitment to "supporting entrepreneurship" in a speech at Dublin Chamber of Commerce.
01 May 2014
New Local Enterprise Office Opens
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has officially opened the Donegal Local Enterprise Office (LEO). The Donegal LEO is part of a network of 31 LEOs which will deliver an improved system of local enterprise supports to start-ups and small businesses across Ireland, providing more staff, funding and services.