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Extend EV grant to second-hand purchases, says PwC

The best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

Cantillon thinks it is not all doom and gloom in the restaurant sector.

Thu May 2 2024 - 06:36

Grants for the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs) should be extended to used as well as new EVs in a bid to accelerate the shift away from petrol and diesel cars to help the State meet its climate change targets, Big Four accounting firm PwC has proposed in its pre-budget submission to the Department of Finance. Ciarán Hancock has the details.

Government faces pressure from the GAA to change part of its proposed gambling law that Tom Ryan, the organisation’s director general warns will hit clubs’ fundraising efforts. The Dáil is due to debate the Government’s proposed Gambling Regulation Bill, which includes a proposed ban on broadcast betting advertising between 5:30am and 9pm, later on Thursday. Barry O’Halloran reports.

The Irish stockbroking operation that UK stockbroker Numis opened almost two years ago to service European clients following Brexit is set to be wound down after the wider group was acquired by Deutsche Bank, writes Joe Brennan. Dublin-based Numis Europe Ltd, chaired by former senior Irish Stock Exchange executive Brian Healy and led by chief executive Garret Ward, a one-time head of equities sales trading at Goodbody Stockbrokers, had nine employees as of last September, according to its most recent financial accounts.

There are workplace politics, and then, there are Workplace Politics. Just ask Google, writes Karlin Lillington in her weekly column.

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The ECB’s expected pivot in monetary policy in June is still on the cards but mortgage holders won’t have much to celebrate says Cantillon, who also thinks that it’s not all doom and gloom in the hospitality sector.

Digital advertising in Ireland grew by 11 per cent in 2023, a new report says, with spending set to grow a further 8 per cent this year. The IAB Ireland/PwC Online Adspend study found a total of €958 million was spent on digital advertising here last year. Among the different sectors the largest was digital display advertising, which rose 15 per cent to €589 million as advertisers spent more on video, digital audio and paid social ads. The latter accounted for €446 million, up 19 per cent year-on-year. Ciara O’Brien reports.

Has Apple Inc run out of ideas?

Listen | 20:14

Medical practices face the same commercial and HR challenges as any other small business, and while there are management systems that can help, most are focused on boosting income and easing the load for practice managers. What’s missing, says Asumpta Gallagher, founder of Best Practice, is support around “the people piece” as few medical professionals are trained to deal with the staff-related issues that will inevitably arise in their practices. Olive Keogh reports.

We may be heading into summer, but with Irish weather you can’t guarantee that will include warm temperatures. And even if we do get a week or two of more temperate weather, the autumn and winter will be closing in fast. With that in mind, the Aeno Smart Heater might be a product to consider, says Ciara O’Brien in her tech review.

With recent multibillion-dollar grants to Intel, TSMC, Samsung and Micron, the US government has now spent more than half its $39 billion (€36.4 billion) in Chips Act incentives, writes Chris Miller.

Making seawater drinkable is energy-intensive and polluting. Lots of companies think they can do better. reports Gill Plimmer.

The US college football game between Notre Dame and Navy at the Aviva Stadium last year generated an economic impact of €180 million for the State, according to an analysis by professional services firm Grant Thornton. The report notes that an estimated 39,702 visitors from the US attended the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, along with 1,063 spectators from other parts of the world. The balance of the 49,000 attendance was based in Ireland.

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