The Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) is urging Government to retain the 9% VAT rate for the tourism and hospitality industry.
They have published a report claiming that 1,457 new jobs have been created in Laois since the introduction of the reduced VAT rate of 9% in July 2011.
The report identifies the direct and indirect employment associated with the introduction of the reduced VAT rate of 9%.
Between Q2 2011 and Q1 2018 the number of people working in the Accommodation and Food services sector increased nationally by 54,400.
This took total employment from 117,300 to 171,700 on a seasonally adjusted basis.
The sector always accounted for 7.7% of total employment in the economy in the final quarter of 2018.
At a national level, the increase in indirect employment is a result of the job creation in the Accommodation and Food Services sector is estimated at 25,024.
The decrease in direct and indirect employment is estimated at 79,424.
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