Budget missed opportunity to ease pressure on small businesses, says Mayo retailer 

More could’ve been done in Budget 2027 to take some of the pressure off small businesses rather than adding to it, according to one Mayo business owner who said she feels like she is being “punished for going out and working”.

Eilish Egan, founder of Blossoms Boutique at Abbey Business Park, Ballina, said local businesses are facing mounting costs across nearly every aspect of their operations, from diesel and electricity to materials, wages, and commercial rates.

Following Tuesday’s Budget announcement, Eilish said she was disappointed by what was announced for small businesses.

“I am very disappointed. I feel we have been getting very little, it feels like you’re being punished for going out and working."

Eilish opened her store just over three years ago and said the cost of running it has increased significantly in that time, with rising expenses now making it increasingly difficult for her to absorb further costs.

“In that three years alone, diesel has gone up, wages have gone up, the cost of my raw materials has gone way up, electricity has almost doubled - it’s just insane,” she said.

To put the increases into perspective, Eilish calculated how much she is now spending compared with May 2023, based on her current staffing levels of two employees each working 24 hours a week.

“I need to sell 96 extra bouquets a month just to pay the extra wages and the electricity. Not counting raw materials or anything else. When you put it into real terms, it’s extortionate."

While Eilish is supportive of her employees receiving a pay increase, she said the rising cost is not being matched by enough support for the businesses carrying those costs.

“I understand that things have to go up, and none of us mind paying. My staff are amazing and they are well deserved of the raise on their wage, but it just feels like there is no help the other way,” she explained.

She said the introduction of measures like auto-enrolment has added further costs for employers at a time when many small businesses are already trying to absorb higher day-to-day expenses.

“There’s nothing coming back, there’s no incentive, there’s no encouragement. There is an awful lot being put onto small businesses and it’s just not viable."

Eilish said she would have liked to have seen the budget include more practical measures to reduce the everyday costs faced by small businesses, rather than introducing further financial pressures.

“I think they could’ve done something to help with card charges. That little bit would help. They could reduce rates, they could’ve taken a percentage off of that to help small businesses," she said. 

"There are plenty of ways they could’ve helped to take a bit of the pressure off rather than adding it on."