Morale amongst rural publicans is at rock bottom as pubs continue to close and costs continue to rise, according to the president of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland (VFI).
Members of the VFI, a body representing thousands of publicans across Ireland, gathered outside Leinster House this morning in a last-ditch plea to the Government to introduce a new tax credit to support struggling rural pubs in Budget 2027.
The VFI's proposed on-trade sustainability scheme is a tax credit of €20 for every 50-litre keg of draught beer or cider sold, capped at €20,000 per pub per year.
VFI President Michael O'Donovan said the tax credit would be a lifeline for pubs in rural Ireland.
He said: "As we've seen over the last 20 years, pubs in rural Ireland have been disproportionately affected with costs and closures.
"So today is a final plea for rural Ireland to save our pubs and to give us a tax break to try and help them survive into the future.
"I think right now it (morale) is probably at rock bottom because you know we've had over the last four or five years Government-led increases on our cost base.
"So right now, we're just asking for a small bit of help so that we can survive into the future and make our pubs viable.
"Everybody comes from all over the world to see an Irish pub. We export them all over the world, and right here at home, we're doing our best to close them.
"We have the best pubs in the world, so why don't we try and give them a small bit of support to survive to go forward?"
The VFI said its scheme would alleviate the financial burden on publicans, particularly those in rural areas, as operating costs continue to rise.
According to the representative body, more than 2,200 pubs have closed across Ireland since 2005, with the annual rate of closures increasing in recent years.
Fine Gael TD for Offaly John Clendennen said he supported the vendors' call for a tax credit given the number of pub closures in recent years.
He said: "I think that social pillar, that economic pillar, that the pub plays in rural Ireland is a pivotal role well beyond the level of funding that may need to be ringfenced for this particular initiative."
"This particular Budget wants to ensure that it supports working people in a whole facet of ways, but certainly I think there is merit to the proposal that the VFI are putting forward here to support rural pubs and hopefully it will be considered in the Budget," he added.
