Providing tax relief of £1,000 per household and small business to go towards the cost of personal computers (pcs) would help accelerate an e-commerce culture, a member of the Oireachtas Committee of Enterprise and Small Business has stated. Mr John McGuinness, Fianna Fail TD for Carlow/Kilkenny, has published a report on "The Impact of E-Commerce on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)" which concludes that the sector is unprepared and will lose out on its export potential which is already under-developed compared to other EU members.

Mr McGuinness is managing director of an SME, Fastmac Express Delivery Services, which is involved in distribution. He said he wished to open a debate on e-commerce and felt it was the most important issue for the committee this year.

The report states that computers in the State are "typically between 10 and 30 per cent more expense than the US" and that there is a need to find out why this is so. It says that as well as providing the £1,000 tax relief to encourage purchases of PCs, a low interest loan could be given to the unemployed to make a similar investment.