{"id":636073,"date":"2026-08-14T02:31:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T02:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/636073\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T02:31:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T02:31:12","slug":"set-up-e350m-ai-training-scheme-and-freeze-minimum-wage-says-business-advisory-group-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/636073\/","title":{"rendered":"Set up \u20ac350m AI training scheme and freeze minimum wage, says business advisory group \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

A \u20ac5 billion investment fund, a \u20ac350 million artificial intelligence<\/a> (AI) training programme and no increase in minimum wage until 2030 form part of \u201ca pro-growth agenda\u201d that the Government should adopt to support SMEs, according to a prebudget submission by Azets Ireland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The professional services firm said that by adopting these measures, and more, the Government would move from \u201ccrisis management to strategic investment\u201d for \u201cthe next phase of Ireland\u2019s economic success\u201d.<\/p>\n

Azets Ireland said small businesses were \u201cthe backbone of the domestic economy and employ two in every three workers in local communities across the country\u201d yet were \u201cdisproportionately impacted by rising costs and economic uncertainty\u201d. <\/p>\n

The advisory company, which employs about 350 people here, called on the Government \u201cto postpone any planned increases in excise duty until greater stability returns to energy markets\u201d, warning that \u201crising fuel costs could further squeeze already tight margins\u201d for small businesses.<\/p>\n

To alleviate these pressures and promote growth in the sector, Azets proposes the creation of a \u201chome-grown investment fund\u201d of \u20ac5 billion from \u201cexcess corporation tax from multinationals\u201d to be allocated for \u201cstrategic investment in small and mid-sized businesses\u201d indigenous to Ireland. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis fund would help to rebalance the domestic economy and support more firms to grow and compete globally,\u201d the firm said.<\/p>\n

It also advocates for \u201c\u20ac350 million in funding to be ring-fenced from the National Training Fund for AI skilling and training for SMEs to enable them to upskill their people and enhance future competitiveness\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf SMEs are to fully harness the potential of AI, they need greater support to develop the right skills for the future,\u201d Azets Ireland\u2019s chief executive Neil Hughes said. <\/p>\n

This \u201cwould help businesses build these crucial capabilities and directly enhance future competitiveness\u201d.<\/p>\n

It called for \u201ca roadmap to reduce capital gains tax to 20 per cent by 2030, in line with standard rates across Europe\u201d. The standard rate currently applied is 33 per cent.<\/p>\n

The firm also advocated for \u201ca simplified route for mid-sized firms to avail of the R&D tax credit\u201d. Hughes said these measures \u201cwould help unlock access to much needed capital that can support these businesses accelerate innovation and growth\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmid the escalating cost of doing business, the firm is calling for deferring planned increases in employer PRSI rates to 2027 and a cap on future contribution rates for SMEs,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAzets is also calling for freezing the minimum wage rate until 2030 and additional statutory entitlements for employees to help small and family-owned businesses grappling with rising labour costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hughes said \u201cwith the right supports in place, indigenous businesses can drive the next phase of Irish economic growth, creating jobs, strengthening communities and building a more resilient economy for the future\u201d.<\/p>\n

The budget<\/a> is due to be announced on October 6th by the Minister for Finance Simon Harris<\/a> and the Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A \u20ac5 billion investment fund, a \u20ac350 million artificial intelligence (AI) training programme and no increase in minimum…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636074,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[261],"tags":[291,289,290,191313,10471,18,19,17,26736,44,82],"class_list":["post-636073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-azets-ireland","tag-budget","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-jack-chambers","tag-simon-harris","tag-technology"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117091518801068325","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}