Varadkar vows to help ailing restaurant industry

CONCRETE steps are being taken to help restaurants and the wider tourism industry, according to Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar.

The minister, who was speaking at the Restaurants Association of Ireland conference in Dublin, said he knew the restaurants had not been helped by rising costs and intractable costs, many of which were imposed by Government or its agencies.

He said a jobs budget next month would reduce VAT from 13.5% to 12%; halve PRSI on jobs paying up to €356 per week; abolish the travel tax in return for new air services and introduce other VAT measures.