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Chartered Accountants Ireland has reacted to today’s publication of the Critical Infrastructure Bill which aims to fast-track the approval processes for critical infrastructure projects in Ireland. Commenting on the Bill, Cróna Clohisey, Director of Members and Advocacy at Chartered Accountants Ireland said “As a professional body representing 40,000 businesspeople across the economy, we see this Bill as a significant step in the Government’s approach to addressing Ireland’s infrastructure challenges. “Engagement with our members has demonstrated that infrastructure deficits need to be addressed as a matter of urgency if Ireland is to achieve its growth ambitions, meet its energy, transport and water requirements, and its sustainability goals. It is encouraging, therefore, to see the Bill’s focus on coordination and collaboration between public bodies to facilitate the rapid approval of projects and programmes.” Grant Sweetnam, Head of Public Policy at Chartered Accountants Ireland, said: “For a small, open economy like Ireland, infrastructure is key to competitiveness. It is vital for maintaining the standard of living for our citizens, for attracting foreign direct investment, for supporting our SMEs and for ensuring Ireland remains one of the best locations to do business.” “Our infrastructure continues to be one of our most critical competitiveness deficits. It is essential that barriers are removed to facilitate investment in our infrastructure to safeguard Ireland’s social and economic interests.  We look forward to engaging constructively with Government and stakeholders on this issue.”

This week, the Institute attended the inaugural Annual Savings and Investment Forum held at the Central Bank. The Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris T.D. addressed the Forum announcing his intention to introduce a Savings and Investment Account in Ireland. It is intended that legislation will be drafted this year with a view to products being established in 2027. Savings and investment accounts form a fundamental pillar in Europe's Saving and Investment Union proposals to increase levels of investment among citizens. Statistics from the Central Bank of Ireland show that Ireland has a long way to go when it comes to households and individuals investing in capital markets. This week’s announcement has the real potential to increase retail participation in capital markets and empower workers and households to create wealth over their working lives. The savings and investment account proposed by the Tánaiste is similar in nature to the Swedish model which was first introduced in 2012. Simplicity is at its core, with one simple tax applied which is administered solely by the financial provider and not the individual investor. This means there are no reporting obligations placed on the investor and individual transactions are not taxed. As a consequence, investors can focus on making the right investment decisions for themselves. At the Forum a strong emphasis was placed on financial literacy. Improving understanding and confidence among individuals will be critical to increasing participation in capital markets over the long term. In Ireland, nearly €170 million in household deposits is held in low return deposit accounts which diminish in terms of purchasing power over time. The Institute made the point that without financial literacy, the savings and investment accounts will not be as successful as they can be. The Institute also pointed out that the savings and investment account should be seen as one element of a wider reform plan which should include tax reform and the removal of the deemed disposal tax which penalises investors. The Tánaiste indicated that the roadmap on taxation of investment products will be published in the coming months. Chartered Accountants Ireland is hopeful that the roadmap will contain commitments to remove the deemed disposal tax along with other tax measures to improve the overall investment environment in the economy. We will continue to engage with Government on this issue over the coming months including as part of our Pre-Budget Submission.   You can read our earlier response here. You can read about the Investment Tax Guide published in conjunction with Goodbody here.

  Research published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has found that almost a third of Irish enterprises used ICT in 2025 to reduce their environmental impact, slightly ahead of the EU average. It also found that investing in technological innovation can support enterprise resilience, efficiency and competitiveness as well as environmental sustainability within enterprises, allowing enterprises to use fewer resources while producing the same or greater output. Commenting on the release, Morgan O’Donnell, Statistician in the Sustainability, Circular Economy & Transport division of the CSO said: “Sustainability is of increasing importance to enterprises, in terms of meeting environmental regulations and expectations, but also from an economic and social perspective. There is increasing national and international recognition that economic growth alone is not a sufficient measure of success, and that long term prosperity depends on achieving a balanced integration of economic, environmental, and social outcomes.” The research, titled Business in Ireland 2025 - Sustainability Through Innovation and Technology, is the second in a series of releases that brings together relevant enterprise economy statistics from a variety of outputs and looks at them through the lens of sustainability to provide greater insights around sustainability and climate targets.

The Climate Change Advisory Council’s latest report: Annual Review 2026 - Our Changing Climate in 2025, finds that climate change is having measurable impacts in Ireland, with growing risks for communities, infrastructure, essential services and the economy. The economic damage from the five named storms that affected Ireland in 2025 amounted to almost €360 million, following estimated losses of €4.1 billion from flood and windstorm events in Ireland in 2024. The storm also exposed vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and essential services, including energy, water and telecommunications. The Council identifies gaps in how the economic, social and environmental consequences of extreme weather events are monitored and notes that robust data and evidence are essential to inform effective policy, planning and investment; it also calls for coordinated Government action, including investment in climate monitoring and infrastructure systems, strengthened policy and legislative frameworks, and a systemic approach to improving national resilience.

Moving away from fossil fuels is key to reducing the impact of the current crisis and future crises, according to Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD. The Taoiseach was commenting in a  recent Government announcement of temporary and targeted measures to reduce fuel prices for households and businesses in order to shield them from the recent hikes in fuel prices. The measures provide for temporary reductions in the rates of Mineral Oil Tax (MOT) applying to petrol, auto diesel and Marked Gas Oil (MGO), and are in effect from 25 March to 31 May 2026. Separately, Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris TD, warned that Ireland and the European Union remain exposed to fossil fuel price shocks: “As long as we rely on imported fossil fuels, events far beyond our shores will continue to impact in a real way on households and businesses. That is not a sustainable position. And it is not a secure one.” The Tánaiste further commented that reducing that dependence as “the only lasting answer”, by accelerating Ireland’s transition to renewable energy and improving efficiency, and building a system that is more resilient and more within our own control. Energy was also a core pillar of Ireland-UK Summit 2026 which took place in Cork in March. A key focus of the Summit was closer cooperation between both countries to deploy offshore wind at scale, as well as increased electricity interconnection and securing critical infrastructure in shared maritime space. An expanded Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the Summit between the electricity transmission system operators of Ireland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland (EirGrid, NESO and SONI), to increase knowledge-sharing and cooperation. Commenting, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O'Brien TD said “This Summit has come as Ireland reaches 8GW of onshore renewable electricity generation, which is a significant milestone. We're building on this both in Ireland and with our near neighbours, creating opportunities for jobs, investments, and a more stable economy." Ireland has doubled wind energy capacity over the past decade, receiving more electricity from onshore wind farms than any other country in Europe. A new peak for wind energy was reportedly recorded in Ireland during February 2026, according to provisional data from EirGrid, with almost 50 percent of Ireland’s electricity came from renewable sources last month. 

Cróna Clohisey, Director of Members and Advocacy at Chartered Accountants Ireland, said: “The Forum is an opportunity to advance the recommendations of the Funds 2030 report and to simplify and enhance the tax framework for retail investment, now expected as part of Budget 2026. Together with the anticipated focus on Savings and Investment Union as part of Ireland’s EU Presidency this year, this emphasis on activating hard-earned savings is timely and hugely welcome.  “The Minister’s announcement that the proposed Investment Accounts are being developed with a simplified approach to tax is a positive development. A model based on a low, easily administered annual charge has the potential to reduce complexity and improve accessibility for retail investors.” Grant Sweetnam, Head of Public Policy at Chartered Accountants Ireland, said: “We welcome the strong emphasis placed on financial literacy by the Minister at today’s Forum. Improving understanding and confidence among individuals will be critical to increasing participation in capital markets over the long term. However, it is essential that these reforms are delivered as part of a coherent overall strategy to address fundamental barriers to investment. Addressing wider barriers, including the deemed disposal rule and inconsistencies in tax treatment across products, will be critical to ensuring the full benefits are realised.  “We look forward to engaging constructively with Government and stakeholders at the Savings and Investment Forum and throughout the implementation process to help ensure the roadmap delivers a simple, effective and competitive investment framework for Ireland.”