Pre-Budget Submission 2017

Hardware Association Ireland (HAI) has launched its pre-Budget Submission 2017. As the national representative body for hardware/DIY retailers and builders merchants, as well as manufacturers/distributors to the trade. We uniquely represent all levels of the supply chain and include within our membership ranks national and international companies, multi-branch chains and smaller independent hardware businesses.

As your sector-specific representative association, HAI has prepared its submission to Government in order to influence policies and schemes that are already in place and recommend new ones that will directly benefit our members.

HAI CEO commented “We welcomed the announcement last week of Rebuilding Ireland from Minister Coveney as a positive and collaborative road map to tackle the housing crisis. However, we didn’t see any incentives for first-time buyers in that plan, so have addressed this in our submission.

Last week also saw the recommendation to increase the national minimum wage (NMW) from the Low Pay Commission. This is too much too soon for a sector still very much in recovery and suffering from the immediate short-term impact of Brexit.”

HAI specifically calls on the Government to consider the following actions:

1. Home Renovation Incentive scheme extension.
2. Stimulate House building.
3. A number of Rural Incentives.
4. Self-employed and Proprietary Directors – end discriminatory tax treatment.
5. Resist any further increase in the national minimum wage.
6. Introduce voucher scheme for winter fuel allowance.

Read full details about the HAI Pre-Budget submission 2017 here.