Help is at hand for small business owners when it comes to the tendering process. 

The procurement market in Ireland is worth approximately €12 billion a year. It’s a huge opportunity for small businesses.

However, this enormous market is often untapped. Why? Simply because the formal tendering process is a minefield for most SME owners.

To give you the best chance to access this vast money pool, help is at hand from InterTradeIreland.

InterTradeIreland says it has been “helping SMEs to win public sector contracts for many years”.

For more information on practical workshops, face-to-face meetings with buyers, financial supports, advisory services and more, go to InterTradeIreland’s ‘Know how to tender successfully’ portal.

READ: What is the Social Innovation Fund and can it help my business grow?

The five tax reliefs you may be entitled to when you retire from your business.

Retirement from your business and the passing of assets and wealth to the next generation is an area that requires comprehensive tax planning, considering the wealth of the tax reliefs available. Below is a brief description of the five tax reliefs that are available in this regard.

Retirement relief

In the future, you may be considering disposing of your shares to a third party or transferring same to your children.

Retirement Relief is a relief for Capital Gains Tax on disposal of qualifying business assets. This relief can significantly reduce, and in some cases eliminate, the Capital Gains Tax liability arising for a business owner on the disposal of part/all of the business or shares in a qualifying trade company.

In order to qualify for relief, the individual must have attained the age of 55 years.

The relief available depends on both the age of the individual at the time of disposal and the relationship between the individual and the person to whom the business/shares are disposed to.

Where all conditions of the relief are satisfied, the following relief may be available:

–        For disposals to children, where the business owner is between 55 and 66 years of age, there is no limit on the amount of the relief.

–        For disposals to children where the business owner has reached the age of 66, the maximum retirement relief available is €3 million.

–        Where the disposal is to someone other than a child the maximum retirement relief available is €750,000 where the business owner is between 55 and 66 years of age.

–        Where the disposal is to someone other than a child and the business owner has reached the age of 66 years the maximum retirement relief available is €500,000.

Due to the fact that some of the conditions of the relief take up to 10 years to satisfy, careful tax planning is required to ensure that maximum relief can be claimed.

Company share buy-back relief

Alternatively, where your company has sufficient retained reserves, the company may acquire your shares (rather than your fellow shareholders or a third party).

Where a trade company were to acquire an individual’s shares, the shareholder would be chargeable to Income Tax, USC and PRSI at his marginal rate on the sales proceeds (52%/55%).

A relief known as ‘company buyback of shares relief’ exists to treat the acquisition of your shares by your company as a Capital Gains Tax (33%) as opposed to an Income Tax Event (52/55%).  This is subject to certain conditions being satisfied by both the shareholder and the company.

Business assets relief

A CAT liability may arise for the person receiving the gift/inheritance of business assets. Business Asset Relief can significantly reduce the CAT liability arising on the receipt of qualifying business assets.

This relief operates by reducing the taxable value of the qualifying business assets by 90%. There are a number of conditions to be satisfied in order for the relief to apply.

Business Asset Relief applies not only in respect of shares in a qualifying trading company but may also apply to assets used by the company (e.g. commercial property). The relief also applies to the assets of a business (e.g. sole trader). However, Business Asset Relief does not apply to investment assets. 

Small gifts exemption

Where you are considering making a future gift/inheritance of cash, you may consider using the small gifts exemption in order to reduce the future CAT liability for the receipt of same.

The small gifts exemption, treats the first €3,000 of gifts received from each person each year is exempt from CAT. Although this may not sound like a significant amount in the context of a future gift/inheritance, where advance planning is undertaken this exemption can be utilised to achieve significant future CAT savings. 

Consider the following example, David is married, with two children and five grandchildren. David and his wife have cash of €500,000 which they will not use in their lifetime and intend to bequeath to their children, children’s spouses and grandchildren. Assuming David’s children and grandchildren have otherwise used their group tax thresholds, the future inheritance of the cash would result in a tax liability of €165,000 (i.e. the family would receive only €335,000 of the €500,000 bequeathed).

However, where David and his wife had made annual gifts of €3,000 to their family (children, children’s spouses and grandchildren), the tax liability could have been reduced. David and his wife could each make an annual gift of €27,000 (€54,000 in total) to the family tax free.  Over 10 years, David and his wife could gift the €500,000 without their family incurring a tax liability, resulting in a tax saving for their family of €165,000.

Dwelling house exemption

The Dwelling House Exemption provides a total exemption from CAT in respect of both the gift/inheritance of a residential property, or part thereof, which the recipient will occupy as their Principal Private Residence. There are a number of conditions to be satisfied by both the recipient and the person making the gift/inheritance. Stamp Duty and Capital Gains Tax must also be considered on the disposal of a property.

With the increasing market value of residential properties, this relief can offer significant tax savings.

This ThinkBusiness advice clinic is in association with PKF O’Connor, Leddy & Holmes. Article by Catherine McGovern, tax director.

A proposal is in development to build new film studios in Dublin. The film making industry in Ireland is worth an estimated €550 million a year.

James Morris, a founder of Windmill Lane Studios and film producer Alan Moloney, have confirmed they are developing proposals to create studios on the former Irish Glass Bottle site at Ringsend.

James Hickey, chief executive of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board says this “is very good news for the Irish film and television industry”.

“There is an urgent need for more studio infrastructure in Ireland to create more employment opportunities in the audio-visual industry, building on the success of the sector to date.”

180,000 sq. ft. of studio space, with additional space for production services and several individual sound stages, will be built on the site.

The studios will aim to attract local and international film and television production activity.

Current Irish film studios include Ashford Studios where the TV series Vikings is currently filming and Ardmore Studios in Co. Wicklow where the TV show Penny Dreadful has been filming for the last number of years.

Six of the best cinemas in Ireland

The International Union of Cinemas says that Ireland has the most cinema goers of any country in the EU, with 2015 being a record year for cinema admissions. Ireland has more than double the EU average of cinema admissions per capita; Ireland boasts 3.3 admissions per capita while our nearest rivals, France and the UK, have 3.1 and 2.7 respectively.

Lighthouse Cinema

Located in the Market Square in Smithfield, the Lighthouse cinema is regarded as one of the coolest places to catch a movie in Dublin. The Lighthouse distinguishes itself from its competitors by offering punters a mixture of Hollywood blockbusters, old classics and art-house films. A stone’s throw from the achingly cool Stoneybatter, the cinema is surrounded by a wealth of hip pubs and restaurants.

Eye Cinema

Galway’s locally-owned Eye bills itself as “the cinema that Galway deserves but has never had”. It sets itself apart from the big cinema chains by giving customers a choice of both mainstream film as well as more arthouse offerings. Visitors get the full multiplex experience with multiple screens, cafés, bars and an ice cream parlour. However, its Eye’s commitment to culture (as well as independent cinema it also host live events with musicians, poets, and comedians) that makes Eye the best in the West.

Phoenix Cinema Dingle

This family-run cinema is just another reason to love Dingle; an adult ticket to its nightly evening showing is only €8 while a matinee ticket will set you back €5.50. The 150 seat cinema also has its ‘Art Film’ night on Tuesdays, with tea and biscuits thrown in for good measure. A good option following a day exploring the Wild Atlantic Way or one of the town’s other attractions.

Century Cinemas

Another family run business, Century has been bringing cinema to Letterkenny for over 75 years. It has all the trappings of a multiplex with eight screens, stadium seating, and 3D movies. However, it also broadcasts live theatre and dance productions. In 2013 it opened its very own ice skating rink, Century Ice, so there’s no shortage of things to do in this enterprising venue.

IFI

Home of the Irish Film Institute, Temple Bar’s IFI is the go-to cinema for Dublin film buffs who want to get their fix of the latest in cutting-edge movie making. Its Georgian building gives visitors a cosy cinema-going experience, while its bar and café give people a place to hang out before sampling what’s on offer on the big screen.

Movie Junction

Cork’s Movie Junction is Ireland’s only dedicated drive in cinema, open seven nights a week. Visitors pick up snacks at the drive-thru kiosk, pull up in the parking bay, tune into the Movie Junction FM frequency on the car radio, then sit back and enjoy the latest blockbuster. Pizzas and chips can be ordered and delivered to your car door, and canopies keep your windscreen clear when it rains. A little slice of American culture in County Cork.

READ: The film sector is big business. If you want to open a cinema find the right finance.

From the most haunted house in Ireland to ‘glamping’ in airplanes, here are five quirky ideas that became real businesses. 

A business woman in Carlow is breeding snails and selling them abroad. 

Who knew there was a gap in the market for snails in Ireland? Eva Milka found them difficult to find when she moved to Ireland and decided to start breeding them for her own consumption. However, when she heard there was a shortage of escargot globally, she realised Ireland’s rain-soaked soil was perfect for mass snail production. She discovered early on that the traditional French method of snail breeding doesn’t work in the Irish climate, so she developed a unique ‘Irish method’ of breeding on her one acre Carlow farm. While domestic demand is modest, food connoisseurs on mainland Europe have been clamouring to try Milka’s Gaelic snails.  

A funeral director in Sligo has sailed a Boeing jet across the sea and wants you to camp in it.

If you’re interested in camping along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, but you don’t fancy messing around with a tent, there’s a funeral director in Sligo who’ll put you up in a disused taxi, a boat, a train carriage, a double decker bus or a Boeing 767. David McGowan’s ‘Quirky Camping Village’ received national attention ever since it came to light that he’d purchased the Boeing 767 from Shannon airport and was transporting the jet to the campsite by boat. The Boeing came safely ashore in May, 2016. 

A Mum in Balbriggan has bought a Dublin Bus and is using it to train children to become spies. 

Lifelong James Bond and Sherlock Holmes fanatic Olive Gilsenan almost gave up on her dream of opening a spy training camp for kids when she struggled to find cost-effective premises for her activities. Then in 2015, the Dublin mum discovered that Dublin Bus was selling out-of-service buses. The idea for Spy Bus was born. Available for both parties and summer camps, Spy Bus promises activities like target shooting and code breaking for kids and forensics and ballistics classes for teenagers.  

There’s a haunted mansion in Wexford that’s been transformed into a tourist hotspot. 

Located on the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford, Loftus Hall is a 22 bedroom mansion that’s supposedly haunted by the Devil and the ghost of the young woman he tormented there. English planters the Loftus family took over the estate in 1666, and the story goes that the devil came to pay the house a visit during a storm and caused a bit of a stir. The 60-acre estate has changed hands numerous times since (Bono was rumoured to be the owner at one point), before being purchased by Aidan Quigley in 2011. It’s now a tourist attraction, offering interactive guided tours of ‘the most haunted house in Ireland’. 

Men in spandex are pummelling each other with steel chairs before bloodthirsty, paying audiences.  

Professional wrestlers Leonard Hanna and Joey Cabray struck gold when they realised there was an appetite for an adults-only, edgier brand of wrestling. They ran their first event, Over the Top Wrestling, in the Tivoli theatre in 2014 and have quickly developed a cult following in Dublin. The monthly events are sell-outs, with people flocking to check out the over the top, often violent brawls on display. 

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READ: I have a great business idea but I need to raise money. How do I do it?

Article by Peter Flanagan. Images from SpyBus.ie; LoftusHall.ie; Eva Milka; and Philip Lange / Shutterstock.com. ⊕

A Sensitivity Analysis Template allows you to show the impact of particular changes in your business plan.

For example, if your sales are higher than previously forecast, this can be reflected in the sensitivity analysis several times. The template will automatically modify your gross and net profits for each of those occasions, along with other applicable areas.

To give a detailed analysis, the template also covers:

• Sales
• Cost of sales
• Wages and salaries
• Sales and marketing
• Administration expenses
• Operating expenses
• Depreciation
• Operating income
• Interest on loans

This simple template is a fantastic resource for businesses, and should be used in conjunction with the ThinkBusiness.ie Business Plan Guide.

Your business idea is often the best thing you have. Here’s how to protect your intellectual property.

Intellectual property (IP) rights are a crucial part of business planning, as they are the only form of protection business owners have for product invention and innovation. Simply put, they are the legal tools that protect your investment in product innovation, and stop others from exploiting that without your permission.

Business owners must protect their own IP, and ensure they don’t infringe on the IP of others. To do this, a plan must be put in place. There are three main areas of a business that can, and should, be protected.