Firms taking 26 extra days to pay

BUSINESSES in counties Cavan and Roscommon are the fastest at paying their bills while firms in counties Kildare and Monaghan take the longest.

This is according to figures released by services firm Experian, which found that on average Irish firms are taking 26 days beyond credit terms to settle their bills — four days more than businesses in the North.

The figures, which cover the second quarter of the year, show a one-day improvement on the previous quarter. In the second quarter of 2008, however, Irish businesses were paying their bills on average 24.85 days beyond terms — almost two days earlier than the same period this year.