Small Business Column: Tobacco firms to pay the price

Kehlan Kirwan looks at plans for a new system of fees for tobacco retailers and asks why many small businesses feel there is still a gap between the Government’s talk on SMEs and its policies.

This week on the Small Business Show one of the news topics up for discussion was the proposal from Health Minister James Reilly, which indicates tobacco retailers may soon be liable to pay monies directly to the Department of Health if they wish sell tobacco.

Businesses who sell tobacco already pay fees to Tobacco Control and will be asked to pay another €500 to €1,000 directly to the Department of Health. It’s that kind of thinking which frustrates businesses no end.