​IN IRELAND, SMES HAVE BEEN STARVED FOR CHOICE OR SUPPORT WHEN APPLYING FOR FINANCE FROM TRADITIONAL LENDING INSTITUTIONS. HOWEVER, THE LENDING LANDSCAPE IN IRELAND HAS EVOLVED AND NOW BOASTS A WIDE ARRAY OF ALTERNATIVE LENDING OPTIONS. BUT WHERE IN A BUSINESS’S LIFECYCLE DO THEY FIT, WHO ARE THE PROVIDERS AND HOW DO THEY COMPARE TO OTHER PRODUCTS?

EQUITY
This is the usual opening point for startups, early stage and large businesses. Irish startups will tend towards cheaper equity in the form of Employment and Investment Incentive Scheme as well as exhausting the grants on offer. If their proposition is scalable enough, their equity will be attractive to those with a high-risk appetite. Feasible if you are a young agile tech startup, less so if you are a first-time restauranteur. By contrast, large businesses unable to take on additional debt because of exhausted lines of credit or high-risk expansion plans seek out the equity capital markets.

Where an individual who pays tax under the PAYE system makes a qualifying donation to an approved sports body they can claim tax relief by way of a deduction from total income. An approved sports body must promote an athletic or amateur game or sport, must be on the approved sports bodies listing on the Revenue website and must hold an up-to-date tax clearance certificate.

A donation will qualify under this tax relief if it is:....

At time of writing (mid-November), the 2019 Finance Bill is meandering through the Oireachtas. In broad terms, it was a quiet budget day on 8 October last in tax terms due to stated concerns about the potential impact of a no deal (or “hard”) Brexit.
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Minister Donohoe announced the availability of €1.2 billion to support those most affected if a no deal Brexit happens, with about half that for the agriculture/enterprise/tourism sectors and badly hit regions.

​A very brief outline of tax changes to date (under summary headings) is:...