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Gift Voucher/ Card/ Token Protections & Credit Card Accountability/ Responsibility

September 1st, 2011

On September 1^st 2011 we wrote to the Minister for Finance outlining how, in November of 2009, we wrote to the former Minister for Finance outlining that in May 2009, US President Obama signed in to law there the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009. The goal here was to introduce a higher level of transparency and assist consumers in these quite difficult times.

In Ireland we are, in many respects, ahead of the provisions of the Act by quite a few years and is something of which we can be quite proud of as advocates and legislators. However, there are a small number of rather interesting provisions that we requested the Minister’s department review for possible consideration of implementation to better assist the consumer when taking on debt through use of a card.

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VAT on Energy Bills

August 30th, 2011

On August 30^th2011 we wrote to the Minister for Finance to request his review of the level of VAT charge applying to energy bills.

The levels of increases in tariffs – electricity 14%: Gas 22% – present very serious budgetary challenges for a nation already struggling with increases in mortgages, rents, insurances, transport, school costs, college fees and more.

Our request is that he consider the introduction of a tiered level of VAT that would allow the maintenance of current VAT exchequer funding from bills but which would provide some relief and much needed confidence to all consumers in all homes across the nation by limiting the additional amount of VAT to be deducted.

With an average monthly electricity or gas bill of €100 the VAT recovered is €13.50. With increases as outlined above the VAT recovered would be €15.39 and €16.47 respectively.

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