Fine Gael TD for Dun Laoghaire for Mary Mitchell O’Connor is encouraging everyone in Dun Laoghaire to shop local this Christmas and support Dun Laoghaire businesses.

“Small and family businesses in Dun Laoghaire are the lifeblood of our local economy and have played a crucial role in the recovery that is now well underway. I’m calling on everyone in Dun Laoghaire who’s going out to do their Christmas shopping in the coming days and weeks to think local first.

“I would also like to remind employers in Dun Laoghaire that they can now gift their staff Christmas bonus vouchers of up to €500 tax free. Up until now, an employer could only provide an employee with a once-off, annual non-cash tax-free benefit to the value of €250. This tax change is a great incentive for employers to reward staff with a larger bonus for Christmas and it will provide a significant boost to the local economy here in Dun Laoghaire, where I would encourage people to spend those vouchers.

“Fine Gael has a long term plan to keep the recovery going and we’re working to ensure more people feel the benefits of a recovering economy in their own lives. Supporting local businesses here in Dun Laoghaire this Christmas will further help to ensure the recovery is felt by an many people as possible this Christmas.”