Sligo Women in Business met on Tuesday 24th November. 37 members came to the Glasshouse hotel to hear guest speaker Suzanne Kelly.
Leading taxation barrister, broadcaster and lecturer, Suzanne offered practical advice - highlighting the essentials for surviving in business in the next 12 months.
"Cash is king, or possibly Queen, considering my audience tonight" she said
In terms of policy, Suzanne presented a 3 point recovery plan. Here is the key point which relates to small business owners (i.e. us):
The self-employed are currently the underdogs of the irish economy. They are denied State benefits accorded to others. Benefits such as pay-related social welfare, optical and dental subsidies and Family Income Supplement are refused to the self-employed. An entitlement to the equivalent amount of annual PAYE credit of €1830 is also declined.
The self-employed number about 220,000 and they are not a powerful lobby group. There are about 120,000 owner-controlled companies, usually a small or family-owned business. Again there is a denial of the PAYE credit to the directors of these companies who are PAYE taxpayers, where the credit can make a big difference to the tax bill on an annual income of 35,000.
Were you with us on the night and have a view you'd like to share? Please feel free to let us have your thoughts. As small business owners how do you think we can build our lobbying muscle? If you have ideas, get in touch.
Thank you to photographer and member Frances Muldoon (071 9177962).
by Amanda Scott Facilitator
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