Last month, I argued that the debate over the restored nine per cent Vat rate for hospitality had fundamentally changed.  When the reduced rate was introduced in 2011, it was sold as a consumer measure that would lower prices, boost demand and create jobs. But the Government now justifies it as support for businesses facing rising costs.  Evidence from the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Department of Finance and the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council suggested Vat cuts rarely translated into lower prices. The real test, I argued, was no longer whether consumers benefited, but whether the €681 million annual tax break…

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