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LAST UPDATE | 3 Dec 2021
TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has announced new Covid-19 restrictions from 7 December following “very stark” advice from public health officials to introduce further curbs on socialising ahead of Christmas.
In a national address this evening, Martin said the government had decided to accept the advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET). Martin said the country was just “getting a handle” on the virus when this new and “potentially more dangerous” variant emerged.
NPHET had been clear that the risks of proceeding into the Christmas period without further restrictions are just too high, the Taoiseach said.
He said it was not a case of returning to the kind of lockdowns we’d experienced earlier in the pandemic, but that measures had to be brought in in order to respond to the current conditions.
“The CMO and our Public Health Experts have been exceptionally clear in their advice to Government. The risks associated with proceeding into the Christmas period without some restrictions to reduce the volume of personal contacts is just too high.
“I’ve always been straight with you as Taoiseach, that the protection of public health is the Government’s primary responsibility and that we will do whatever is needed to discharge that duty.”
From the 7 December to the 9 of January, the following measures will kick in:
Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan confirmed during this evening’s press briefing that outdoor events, religious services and weddings will not be impacted by the 50% capacity cap.
The Taoiseach acknowledged that “very many people in the hospitality and entertainment industries will be bitterly disappointed by this news”
Martin said he wants to reassure those who are concerned that the government will ensure they have the financial support necessary to “weather this latest storm”.
The Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be reopening for applications from workers impacted by the latest restrictions, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys announced following the Taoiseach’s address.
Humphreys said her Department will work on this as a “matter of urgency” with full details to be announced over the coming days.
Arts Minister Catherine Martin also confirmed that extra supports will be put in place to support the live entertainment industry following a “huge blow” to the sector.
Martin said she secured an additional €25 million to support the entertainment sector, and the implementation of supports will be discussed by Department officials with stakeholders.
‘No gardaí calling to people’s homes’
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar noted that today’s announcement is guidance and not statutory: “There’ll be no gardaí calling to people’s homes, to see how many are inside.”
“This is guidance at a sensible and it’s flexible, and it’s non-statutory.”
Varadkar announced that Covid Response Support Scheme (CRSS) will be reformed and will provide targeted support to the hospitality sector to supplement the support they are receiving under the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme.
A weekly payment will be made to qualifying businesses in the sector whose trade is significantly impacted due to the restrictions set out in Health Regulations. Businesses that expect their turnover to be below half of what it was in 2019 will qualify for this additional support.
The payment will amount to 12% of their turnover for the same week in 2019 up to a maximum weekly payment of €5,000.
“So that’ll include restaurants, pubs, theatres, cinemas, nightclubs, for example, and other businesses too. So if you’re restricted in any way by government regulation, you can apply for the CRSS,” Varadkar said.
He added that the commercial rates waiver for these sectors will be extended into quarter one of next year. Government said this will be put in place at an additional cost of €62.3m.
Varadkar told the press briefing that it is his view that we are going to have to try to live with this virus and “we are trying to live with it”.
“And while this Christmas is not the Christmas that we had hoped it would be, it’s a better Christmas than last. There’ll be many more things that people be able to do this Christmas that they could not do last Christmas,” he said.
When asked during the press briefing what the country’s plans should the estimates around the Omicron variant be accurate, Martin said that the booster vaccination campaign is “key” alongside the commencement of the childhood vaccination programme, which is subject to NAIC advice.
The first batch of vaccines for children will arrive in the country on 15 December he said, with a second arriving in early January.
He added that socialisation matters “as has been demonstrated in the last number of weeks when people adjusted behaviours which did stabilize the prevalence of delta and the impact of delta in hospitals and on ICUs”.
The government has repeatedly said that open windows and C02 monitors provide “sufficient” ventilation in schools. Martin said this evening that some 35,000 Co2 monitors have been distributed so far.
When asked about the government’s stance on using HEPA filters to improve ventilation in some schools amid the ongoing risks posed by Covid-19, Martin said the cost “could be anything up to €80 million”.
“Ventilation is an area that we are looking at on a continuing basis but a lot of guidance was issued in respect of it all of the sectors.
Additional technical advice is available from the Department of Education and support for schools in particular situations where they may have difficulties with ventilation. If they need additional financial support that support will be there as well as the advice.
“The advice I was given to education was that the most effective ventilation is the natural ventilation.”
He added that he supports the wider use of antigen testing but it is “not a silver bullet”. He said it was one part of the “weapons at our disposal” with it deployed in third-level education and at secondary and primary levels.
In a message to the country’s children during his address, the Taoiseach said they have been “extraordinary”.
“You’ve had to spend less time with your friends, miss out on special occasions and you’ve been unable just to enjoy normality. Now we’re asking you to wear masks in school and soon we may be asking you to get vaccinated.
“You are a very special generation. Thank you for what you’ve done and what you continue to do.”
Concluding his address, Martin said the latest twist is “disappointing, but we are nowhere near back where we were”.
We will get through this latest twist by drawing on the same spirit of resilience that has got us to this point, the same spirit of solidarity and trust in science that has given us the most vaccinated population in Europe, and the same spirit of community, that defines us a nation.
“We will get through it together,” he added.
‘We can’t keep acting as though the latest wave will be our last’
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said public health advice has to be heard and respected but that the real story today is “the absolute and abject failure of government to plan and to manage”.
“We said to them months ago that it was a mistake to stop contact tracing in schools. We said to them that we need widespread access to antigen testing. We and others said the issue of ventilation in schools and beyond was essential… but most grievously the government has failed to respond to the lack of capacity within our health care system.”
McDonald said that “good order and any semblance of rationality and planning” has been missing: “I am very fearful if the pattern of government and decision making now is going to be yoyo-ing in and out of a crisis with all that means for society, for people’s mental health, for people’s incomes, for people’s businesses. That is not an acceptable way to do government.”
Reacting to this evening’s announcement, Labour Health spokesperson Duncan Smith said the Government must refocus on controlling and suppressing Covid-19 “because they are quickly losing public confidence”.
“Overall though what we need now is a fundamental reset, and a new long term strategy to address the Covid-19 pandemic. This virus is not going away, and the latest variant will test our health services further,” said Smith.
“The new restrictions announced have many people very frustrated, worried, and anxious about what happens next because despite having one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, we still can’t live our lives as we once did.
“We can’t keep acting as though the latest wave will be our last,” Duncan said calling for a comprehensive new strategy to bring the country through the winter and protect the health service. He stressed that a recruitment effort for vaccinators and swabbers is needed.
“We need to ensure our frontline hospitals and their exhausted staff are supported, and resourced for the coming weeks,” he said, adding that “there is no silver bullet, but simple measures like HEPA air filters, and subsidised antigen tests have a part to play”.
The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland’s Chief Executive Padraig Cribben said that workers in the sector are facing a bleak Christmas.
“Earlier this year our sector was promised there would be no return to previous restrictions so today’s news is extremely disappointing. We are going backwards with little sense of what the future holds for the trade.
“Publicans are asking how we get to a stage where we can trade safely without restrictions. Right now Government is offering little advice. They have promised to meet us early in the New Year to map out the next 12 months but considering we though the crisis would be over by now the trade is in a very dark place.
“There are supports available, including the return of the CRSS but we’ll need to analyse the details to see how many of our members qualify. The reality is this is another disastrous day for the pub trade,” he said.
Last Wednesday, employment wage subsidy scheme (EWSS) rates were reduced as part of a plan to gradually wind the scheme down. Many businesses and representative groups have called for this to be reversed.
The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) said the business supports announced this evening all far short of what is urgently needed given the scale of the crisis now facing the sector, and are calling on officials to reconsider its decision to reduce EWSS supports and to urgently restore them to November levels.
“The Government’s failure to support our sector is all the more disappointing given the assurance received that we would not face a cliff edge in terms of financial supports, but this is exactly what has happened tonight,” IHF President Elaina Fitzgerald Kane said in a statement this evening.
Normally December trade sustains the very challenging off-peak months at the start of the new year, but this has been wiped out this year. Currently, hotels are reporting average occupancy rates of 35% for December and just 13% in January and February
“The Government can dress this up whatever way it likes – but the reality is that the supports announced come nowhere close to being enough given the extent to which hotel businesses levels have been decimated in recent weeks,” said Kane.
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Depends who you consider to be an artist. This conversation was on the radio before- it mentioned people like Rosanna Davidson and Ryan Tubridy also claiming themselves artists under this.
@Amy Bernadette Drew: Seriously?
@Amy Bernadette Drew: I’m a pissartist, can I claim?
@Amy Bernadette Drew: they claimed the exemption on money from books they wrote nothing else. You make it sound like they got it for something else
@Kal Ipers: I have no problem with struggling Irish artists and members of the various arts schemes within the arts council availing of this, however celebrities and politicians claiming it for tell all autobiographies and models claiming it for taking off their clothes is undermining the real artists out there.
@Amy Bernadette Drew: It’s an allowance available to anyone who satisfies the criteria, like childrens allowance. Millionaires and homeless both get it.
@Kal Ipers: so a book on eating raw veg to look ” beautiful” is a work of art? Are we afraid we’d lose Rosanna to the Paris art scene if we don’t give her a tax break? . Well a least she will still have all the slot jockey & poker machine cash she and the hubby can count while “sharing” photos from their Maldives getaways . Real value for money they are for the tax payer !!
@Amy Bernadette Drew: Anyone can describe themselves as an artist.
I had thought that this scheme(scam) had been aabolished some years ago.
The vast majority of artists have a second income that they pay tax on and earn pittance from their art. For writers it’s something like 5% make a living wage. Musicians don’t fair much better. Creating art actually costs money on time, equipment, and materials. Without the exemption some will have to stop and what we’re left with is the boyos in the picture above who know how to work the system and use it to avoid tax rather than bring their meager income up to a livable level. Perhaps if income goes beyond a certain threshold, the initial 50,000 exemption, entitlement could be removed, so only people who need it continue to get it.
@Carol Oates: exempt for the first 50g?how about no taxpayers have enough parasites siphoning their money.time to stop this farce
Or in u2′s case the first fifty million
It’s a scheme that is well known worldwide, and I believe helps Ireland have a reputation as a country of culture. From the numbers stated it’s clear they aren’t all making €50k per year. It’s tough to make a living in the arts but we can all be culturally enriched by them.
@Crom Cruach: It is a great scheme that might help struggling artists so why did the accompanying photograph Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne and Loius Walsh?
As far as I know you have to make an application for each project, it is not available all the time.
Keep in mind that if The Clonskeagh Mafia force us under sharia law not only we not have tax exemptions for artists; we simply won’t have any artists.
Sure how about jimmy the brickie,id say he would like the break too.
Is it true u2 never paid tax in ireland?
@Shelley:
No
@Shelley: they pay a lot more than you do.
@Shelley: There’s always an idiot who brings up U2.
@Reg: I was asking a question no need for name calling
@Rob Cahill: really that’s good to know
@Shelley: it’s a very stupid question.
Artists and the Horse industry should pay tax
They cheat us all.
any exemption that encourages or rewards people is worthwhile especially when it reduces the amount that the Government has to spend on a bloated public service badly managed heavily unionised hospitals and drunks/druggies taking state handouts. It is time we has a people reward hard work, enterprise and ability and relegate paper pushing and screwing the working people to the past.
I agree with your last sentence. Reward people who work hard for themselves. But why should this particular scheme be restricted to artists, and not extended to other self employed people too?
I agree about the Self Employed but being one of those people myself I was more inclined to the general screwing over that Unions and the dossers do to each of us hard working private sector people whether emploted or self employed. The CSO has again shown that the gap in favour of public sector wages is growing, yet we have people who are ready to jump on a hobby horse of an artist exemption. When are we in the private sector going to band together and fight against the excesses of public sector workers.
I think those great ‘artists’ Joe Duffy and Ryan Tubridy should continue to get artist’s exemption on their meagre RTE salaries because they wrote books.
These struggling artists need the money don’t forget.
The least the taxpayer can do is to forsake income from another tax (the license fee) in which these gentlemens ‘businesses’ are taxed at the exhorberent rate of 12.5% already.
We must acknowledge their ground breaking and fearless contribution to the world of art, and joyously forgo tax revenue.
Because they are worth it.
@John Belton: Their businesses will be taxed at 12.5% on the profits. Any income they take from their business is subject to the various income taxes just lile everyone else.
One thing I tend to agree with you on. I don’t think anyone should get the artists allowance if they have a combined income of over 100k.
@Reg: 12.5% is in effect only a rate available to large corporations. SME businesses are usually subjected to the Close Company Surcharge which means their effective tax rate is similar to income tax.
And people think small business people have of easy!!
@Donal Milmo-Penny: that closed company surcharge is only applicable if you’re a professional service provider (account, architect, solicitor)
I provide training services and I don’t pay it. The distinction lies in the fact that I don’t have to be a member of a “professional” body to provide my services.
Best piece of tax advice I’ve ever received
What price can you put on creativity ,we need to be working harder to promote the arts in ireland ,its a reflection of an immature society that does not value its own artists .most artists live hand to mouth ,yes you have that golden few that use it as a vehicle for not paying tax and they should be put under the microscope ,but our culture is enriched by people who dedicate their lives for little financial reward ,lets not throw the child out with the water .
@Anthony Gallagher: you’re talking nonsense I take it it’s in your interest to continue to bend the tax paying citizen s of this country over
For 11m a year it is worth keeping the exemption, to qualify you should have income from other sources not exceeding 50g per year i would siggest
If ever there was a need for bright fresh new artists it’s now – the digital age demands more enlightened content creators, and we can excel at it
@GrAce: so, everyone who can create a snazzy Facebook post or similar can claim to be an artist, and not pay tax?
@Jumperoo: the tax break is specifically on sales of their work. As in the case of a musician it might be the sale of an album. They still pay tax on all other earnings, just like anyone else.
Bean counters know the price of everything and the value of nothing. The truth is and I say this from experience no Artist goes into the Arts to earn a living from it because there is know living to be made from it. As an Artist you will find that out very quickly becoming very disillusioned and starving in the process. The Artist tax exemption was set up to encourage Artistic talented individuals to take up a career in the Arts and try and make it financially viable to do so. But since it was set up the Artist tax exemption has been abused by retireed politicians, sports stars and others who are not genuine Artists in the true meaning of the word and this is the part that needs to be changed and most Artists including myself would agree with that !!..
are con-artists exempt .
Bertie Ahern. Artist. Says it all.
But aren’t they not using the DUTCH SANDWICH in order not to pay tax here anyway???
@Alois Irlmaier: Amazing sentence.
Works out at an average cost of €3,800 per person using the exemption. Doesn’t seem excessive with that figure. Might just need to be looked at ensuring that only valid people who are full time artists etc are using it.
you pick your career you deal with the wages and tax for that career simple should be no tax exemptions for anyone its called equality
I painted the bathroom yesterday, can I become tax exempt?
Let the rich get richer, ridiculous.
@Trevor Hayden: Apply and see…
Just for young artists, and then for 5 years . Not as a tax scam for the foreign and the rich irish.
.
A common sense global earnings cap would surely make sense here? If you’ve earned an average of over 50,000 per annum for the last three years (pro rata for new artists) then you pay tax. Wouldn’t be hard to work out.
All of a sudden I can feel my artistic streak beginning to emerge. My mother allways said that I was going places, but I never expected it was the shed out back that she was talking about
Is Conor Mcgregor to be considered an artist……
If you can’t make a living at it then it’s a hobby. Everyone should pay tax on the same basis so not only should the artists exemption go but the special deal for professional sports people should go too. They use the roads and the health service don’t they? Maybe if they had to relate more to the rest of us they would produce more work that we could relate to.
Talk about setting up a biased poll! Oh and surprise, surprise the results are for shutting down the scheme. Ok so they need to shut some loopholes, but all artists i know, including myself, barely make a living from art AND a 2nd income source.
Creativity is the way i share my soul with the world – Brene Brown
The first €50k is exempt from tax , what a joke ! All workers have expenses , just cause art materials are dear doesn’t justify the huge exemption , if that’s the case then we’re all entitled to buy expensive cars and get the tax exemption as we need them to get to work . Funny how the minimum wage earners are still expected to pay bills and live but the Artists can’t manage on 3 times that amount on money , and why is the spectrum so broad for the Title Artist ? I draw pictures daily with my child , am I an artist too
The state funds so many artists they’re not able to make any critical commentary on society. They shouldn’t pay tax but then none of the rest of us should either. Government administration needs to go the way of the dinosaur.
Why should wealth artists have tax breaks while all us hard working low middle and high income workers get ride on tax. Charlie’s pocket got well lined
The first €50k is exempt from tax , what a joke ! All workers have expenses , just cause art materials are dear doesn’t justify the huge exemption , if that’s the case then we’re all entitled to buy expensive cars and get the tax exemption as we need them to get to work . Funny how the minimum wage earners are still expected to pay bills and live but the Artists can’t manage on 3 times that amount on money , and why is the spectrum so broad for the Title Artist ? I draw pictures daily with my child , am I an artist too ?
Yes it is good but only on till they reach a certain level of income.
Ye know you won’t have PK or Rourke calling for an end to the Bizness man Ponzi scheme that is Ireland. Dee Bizness man according to PK and Rourkey is a wealth creator and a job creator and no other word do they speak. The do not tell you of how Dee Bizness man is enjoying the car, restaurants, hotel rooms as a tax write off. Perhaps no being paid a wage but a modest wage (sure jesus would you want to be taxed!!!!) but most of the money is ploughed into the company which you own, or in shares which you legally put through the ringer over years and can take back then tax free from even capital gains.
No go after the artist, stick a picture up of multi millionaire louis walsh and debate this on radio over the week, (I am sure they have all got their portfolio of discussion for the week.) Go after the artist, those that do not get on the train at 6.30am to work in our economic hubs to return at 7pm at night, people who want to spend time raising their kids. People that won’t buy our crap little overpriced houses or rent from us forever, well those that refuse to go into our economic sty, will be herded and goaded into it.
Very few artists make enough to qualify for income tax anyway. If they really want to help visual artists in this country they’d make art tax deducible for the buyer. Increase sales. Everyone’s happy.
Why is there a photo of Louise Walsh and 2 mimers from a boy group if this article is about art?
performing artists, for example members of boy bands who don’t write music are not exempt under the scheme……I wonder did the person who selected the photo to go with this story knew that?
have your say