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Government 'charade' in ISME crosshairs over late payments

The waiting period for payment climbed again in the last three months, with big business abuses and government indifference blamed.

SMALL BUSINESSES FACE a wait of 63 days for payment on average, new research from the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association has found.

The waiting period is up during the second quarter of the year, with an average of 60 days recorded during the first three months of 2014.

The small business lobby group said that the Government was failing to meet the challenge of ensuring small businesses are paid on time.

Long term payment arrears are also becoming more common, with 28% of companies now waiting three months or longer for cash to land, up from 25%.

Extreme cases also showed incremental growth, with delays of 120 days and more up 1% to 6% overall, and a 2% increase to 16% in businesses waiting longer than that.

Munster is the worst geographic area for timely payments at 66 days on average, while Connaught is the best at 51.

‘Charade’

ISME chief executive Mark Fielding called on the Government to “stop the charade of the ineffectual late payments legislation and take a much stronger hand in ensuring that SMEs in Ireland are paid on time”.

This Government is forever spinning the yarn that they are ‘SME focused’, while their inaction on late payments would state the opposite. They allow big business and government agencies to continue to abuse their dominant position.

Pointing to the finding that only 2.5% of SMEs feel that they can charge interest on late payments, he said many small business owners feel threatened by large businesses which will stop buying from them if they take action.

He called for the introduction of a phased transition to mandatory 30 day payments, but said that he held little hope of the current Government delivering on it.

“Even the attempt by the Department of Jobs to improve matters through a Fair Payment Charter has collapsed due to lack of support from the big business and semi-state lobby group IBEC.

Read: Half of Irish companies forced to sack workers because of late payments>

Read: Small firms being ‘strangled’ by late payments – SFA>

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6 Comments
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    Mute Aine O Connor
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:10 PM

    Everyone was falling over themselves praising David Beckham when he joined the queue for the Queens wake. Not so impressed now that he would take 10 million and be involved in any way with this fiasco of a World Cup. Money is the root of all evil.

    315
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    Mute Maurice Bourke
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:25 PM

    @Aine O Connor: you quote is in complete. Money is not the root of all evil. The quote is “the love of money is the root of all evil.” Meaning that insatiable greed that causes evil and not the money itself.

    124
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    Mute Michael Nolan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:36 PM

    @Maurice Bourke: think u missed the point there

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    Mute Pauline Gallagher
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    Nov 21st 2022, 4:07 PM

    @Maurice Bourke: yea, i think we get what she meant, Mr Pedantic.

    48
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    Mute Michael Nolan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:38 PM

    Fair play to him 6500 workers died in the making of this so called entertainment….you’d think Beckham has enough money at this stage of his life

    184
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    Mute Dave Ryan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 5:07 PM

    @Michael Nolan: Beckham would endorse ISIS if they offered him enough money.

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    Mute Alan Byrne
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 12:14 AM

    @Michael Nolan: that’s not really true though….

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    Mute Mick Hyland
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    Nov 21st 2022, 2:59 PM

    I’m getting tired of this guy

    136
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    Mute Gearóid MacEachaidh
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:44 PM

    @Mick Hyland: Beckham? Yeah me too. Overrated as a footballer and worse as a human it turns out.

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    Mute 2thFairy
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    Nov 21st 2022, 7:38 PM

    @Gearóid MacEachaidh: Joe is self serving here. A poor stunt, in poor taste. DB along with many many others will profit from from this WC. Where was Joe and his ilk for the last 12 years since Quater were awarded the WC? Silent.

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    Mute Gearóid MacEachaidh
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    Nov 21st 2022, 9:22 PM

    @2thFairy: how exactly is he self serving? And Beckham didn’t agree his deal with Qatar 12 years ago, how could he complain about Beecham taking blood money before he knew he was going to? Not to mention Lycett was still at college then. He and others have spoken out against Qatar being awarded multiple times in the last number of years. Not sure what you’re on about here to be honest.

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    Mute Michael Nolan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:36 PM

    Fair play to him highlighting the terrible conditions for workers over there and the gay community’s plight … you’d think that guy Beckham would have enough money at this stage of his life ..dragged into the sunshine now…

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    Mute Martin O Connell
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    Nov 21st 2022, 4:02 PM

    The money was about as real as the moral high ground that Lynette is standing on.

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    Mute Cullen Cullen
    Favourite Cullen Cullen
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    Nov 21st 2022, 9:46 PM

    @Martin O Connell: good call

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    Mute Geoff Bateman
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:28 PM

    Cheapest publicity stunt ever

    72
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    Mute SquintEastwood
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    Nov 21st 2022, 2:52 PM

    A fake faker…was it fake or is his publicity costing him another 10k

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    Mute Niall Sheridan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:37 PM

    Fun he is – fool he isn’t!

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    Mute Nirvana Barbarossa
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    Nov 21st 2022, 10:53 PM

    Gay issues should not take over the world cup, especially as they dont watch it.

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    Mute Jonathan Nolan
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 12:48 AM

    What if Beckham was to donate the 10 million he is earning from his appearance in Qatar to a gay charity. Would all be forgiven then I wonder?

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