Chambers Ireland, the nationwide voice of business, has today welcomed the publication of the Cost of Business Advisory Forum Report, while warning that its value will be judged by delivery rather than publication. As businesses across Ireland continue to face intense pressure from energy, regulatory, infrastructure, legal and finance-related costs, the report must now serve as a clear roadmap for reducing avoidable costs and complexity.
The Cost of Business Advisory Forum brought together businesses and business groups to look at the structural issues driving up costs and steps that can be taken to mitigate them. This engagement was designed to ensure that the lived experience of businesses, particularly SMEs and indigenous enterprises, from across Ireland was reflected in the final report’s 63 recommendations.
Commenting on the publication of the report, Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, said:
“We welcome the publication of the Cost of Business Advisory Forum Report and the constructive engagement with businesses and representative organisations throughout its development. Publication, however, is only the starting point. The report clearly reflects the pressures our members experience, but businesses do not need another document to sit on a shelf. They need action that reduces the real costs and complexity affecting decisions on investment, hiring and expansion and, for many SMEs, basic viability.
The recommendations must now move quickly from report to delivery. Business confidence has been weakened, and the priority must be implementation. The Forum has done important work in identifying practical reforms and engaging business organisations; Government must now ensure that this work produces measurable results.”
Chambers Ireland has called for the report to be adapted into an Action Plan on Tackling Business Costs. This should include clear implementation timelines, named lead bodies for each recommendation, regular public reporting and dedicated funding where required to deliver meaningful reform.
Commenting on the concerns raised across the Chambers Ireland network, Ian Talbot continued:
“Across our network of 36 Chambers, we see every day how integral SMEs are to local economies right across Ireland. They create jobs and build connected, thriving local communities. If we want Irish businesses to grow, we have to get serious about the costs and complexity they face. That means reducing avoidable administrative burdens, improving price transparency, tackling infrastructure and utility cost pressures, and ensuring regulation is proportionate, predictable and outcome-focused. We welcome this focus in the final report.”
Chambers Ireland has also called for the Cost of Business Advisory Forum to continue in an advisory capacity or be reconstituted as an implementation group to support delivery of the report’s recommendations. A continuing structure would maintain engagement with businesses and strengthen accountability across Government.
Chambers Ireland said that the report’s focus on regulatory reform, better engagement with enterprise, improved transparency, easier switching between providers, and targeted resourcing reflects many of the priorities consistently raised by Chambers across the country. Ian Talbot concludes:
“Ireland needs a business environment that encourages entrepreneurship, supports indigenous growth and gives SMEs the confidence to expand. The test is whether this report delivers measurable change for firms on the ground.”