Govt scheme:20% off hotels, restaurants. October to April 2021

Former Former · 05-08-2020 3:12pm

garrettod wrote: »

This thread shouldn't be in Bargain Alerts, IMHO.

There's no bargain available anytime soon and most of the last two pages would be better suited in After Hours or elsewhere.

The bargain is not in hotel prices, it's in getting a discount on money that you would be spending anyway.

I'm going to Center Parcs in December (at least, I hope I am). Getting 250 quid back for zero effort is a bargain in my book.

Tippgirl74 · 05-08-2020 8:19pm

Former Former wrote: »

The bargain is not in hotel prices, it's in getting a discount on money that you would be spending anyway.

I'm going to Center Parcs in December (at least, I hope I am). Getting 250 quid back for zero effort is a bargain in my book.

Does it apply to bookings already made and paid for? Had a weekend in Kerry in December booked and paid for the week before it was announced. Also booked via booking site not direct with hotel. Does anyone know where the t&C's are published?

JimmyVik · 06-08-2020 10:09am

Tippgirl74 wrote: »

Does it apply to bookings already made and paid for? Had a weekend in Kerry in December booked and paid for the week before it was announced. Also booked via booking site not direct with hotel. Does anyone know where the t&C's are published?

I think you just upload your receipts. So get a receipt after your stay

Scoondal · 07-08-2020 8:02pm

I've already booked. I'm looking forward to my trip to Clifden. Great spot. 20% back .... great.

Muahahaha · 03-09-2020 4:09pm

This Stay and Spend scheme got launched today so there is finally a bit more detail
https://www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/communications/stimulus/stay-and-spend-tax-credit-incentive.aspx

-It runs until April 30th 2021, before they had just said 'April' without saying if it was April 1st or 30th it finishes. This means that Easter comes into play for trips away as that falls on April 4th.
-You must spend 25 euro in a single transaction to qualify. Meaning someone eating in a restuarant weekly and spending the 25 is included. Do that 25 times and it adds up to the 625 from which you get a tax rebate of 125 or 250 for couples spending 1,250.
-Take photos of your receipts and upload them to this App 'RevApp' https://www.revenue.ie/en/online-services/services/common/manage-your-receipts-with-the-receipts-tracker.aspx

Now here is where it gets a bit silly. Participating venues have to register with Revenue and you can only get a tax refund by spending with those that do. Venues also must be registered with Failte Ireland whereas not every hotel or restaurant would be so they're excluded from participating even if they want to.

Revenue have put up a searchable database of participating venues but so far there appears to be next to nothing on it. Presumably that will change but its not a good look on the day of launch. All I could find was 3 venues in all of Co.Dublin offering it under the Food and Drink heading. Under Accomodation there is none.
https://www.ros.ie/stay-spend-web/rev/sas

Sounds like a mess of a scheme to me in the way it is being run. But if someone is heading away for a few days in a hotel then it *might* come in handy provided the hotel you want is participating and has registered with Revenue.

They should have just provided vouchers or done something like the UK did with giving 50% of meals for the month of August. But there you go anyway.

odyssey06 · 03-09-2020 4:09pm

Where a taxpayer has insufficient income tax liability to fully benefit from the measure, they may still avail of the relief against their USC contributions.
https://www.thejournal.ie/stay-and-save-scheme-5194493-Sep2020/

Spanish Eyes · 03-09-2020 5:25pm

The UK system for their incentive was so easy.

I don't mean to be too critical, but we could do the same, but we are obsessed with registrations, Failte Ireland tax returns and so on. Don't get it myself.

Why not just let the establishment give the discount and claim it back, instead of putting it back to the consumer. Or am I missing something? Probably the fact the Irish scheme is limited to those who pay tax or USC. Sometimes simplicity works though.

c.p.w.g.w · 03-09-2020 6:14pm

Is it possible to use the scheme, to claw back money for a wedding?

CBear1993 · 03-09-2020 6:14pm

It's like everything down here, they make it hard for people to avail of anything that's of benefit to them, you've to jump through endless amounts of hoops as they say.

I wouldn't mind only our neighbours up in the 6 don't get hit with 40% once they go over a very small salary of €33K. You can earn a great living up there and pay 20% .

The minute you start to make anything decent at all down here the hammer comes down.

You'd think for once they'd f*ckin make it easy for us to go away for a weekend and avail of a bit of money back, after paying a third of some of our salaries to the tax man, nope.

odyssey06 · 03-09-2020 6:36pm

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

Is it possible to use the scheme, to claw back money for a wedding?

Hmm... the Journal says this but I don't see it mentioned on Revenue site:
To receive a tax credit on your food and drink spend, the meal has to be prepared for the customer and has to be consumed on the premises in which it is sold.

So you may not be able to claim for such party provided meals.

Wedding guests would also be able to claim back against their acccomodation costs assuming the venue is registered.

Str8outtaWuhan · 03-09-2020 6:37pm

center parcs not on the list ffs!!!!

odyssey06 · 03-09-2020 6:40pm

Str8outtaWuhan wrote: »

center parcs not on the list ffs!!!!

The list is tiny so far. Businesses still registering.

Scoondal · 03-09-2020 10:49pm

odyssey06 wrote: »

The list is tiny so far. Businesses still registering.

I did not realise that businesses had to sign up.
When the scheme was announced, I booked a place a few days later.
This sounds like another mess that the government has gotten us into, to paraphrase Oliver Hardy.

KaneToad · 03-09-2020 11:00pm

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

The UK system for their incentive was so easy.

I don't mean to be too critical, but we could do the same, but we are obsessed with registrations, Failte Ireland tax returns and so on. Don't get it myself.

Its not too much to ask that a participating restaurant is revenue compliant. I wouldn't be happy if the state finances (a small amount of which came from my taxes!) were used to line the pockets of businesses who were not revenue compliant.

I think it's an ok(ish) scheme. I don't see myself benefitting greatly from it...but it's not all about me!

Muahahaha · 03-09-2020 11:25pm

First (and only) Co. Dublin hotel is up, Radisson Blu Hotel at Dublin Airport. Save on taxes the night before you leave the country :pac:

The Westbury, Westin and Brooks hotel are the only ones so far in Dublin 2. Co Galway has a total of four hotels which is leading Co.Corks three, one of which includes Trabolgan. Kerry leads both Cork and Galway with a whopping five hotels.

Red Silurian · 04-09-2020 12:52am

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

The UK system for their incentive was so easy.

I don't mean to be too critical, but we could do the same, but we are obsessed with registrations, Failte Ireland tax returns and so on. Don't get it myself.

Why not just let the establishment give the discount and claim it back, instead of putting it back to the consumer. Or am I missing something? Probably the fact the Irish scheme is limited to those who pay tax or USC. Sometimes simplicity works though.

The problem with doing something like this here in Ireland is that the businesses would just see it as an excuse to raise their prices like the Euro changeover and anytime we've had a VAT drop

CBear1993 · 04-09-2020 1:13am

(Majority) We’re just a greedy shower of b*stards, it’s bred into us. Give us an inch and we’ll take the clothes off your back.

It was a roaring success up north, but of course they had to make it complicated down here. Because they know a lot of people won’t bother to keep their receipts or scan them upto revenue

bobbyy gee · 04-09-2020 5:49am

I would not stay in hotel during covid
https://www.kayak.com/news/covid-19-hotel-tips/

Dempo1 · 04-09-2020 6:49am

Wasn't this absurd scheme Touted ferociously by Leo a few weeks back and roundly critised by anyone actually listening. It's a nonsense from start to finish, get an allowance against your taxes in 2022? is it really worth the hassle and besides and sadly history tells us customers will be gouged royally, particularly at hotel's. We'll end up paying more to get a pittance of a rebate, just a mind boggling stupid idea which by all accounts has come far too late for some venues, most of whom will extend an already bleak seasonal closing period. Surely a targeted voucher scheme of sorts a more practical idea. Not the SF approach mind you, but Revenue are excellent at retaining Taxpayers details, are we to believe there's no way to target Taxpayers with a voucher as opposed to reminders of motor tax renewals, Property tax reminders etc???

Jamie5dt68 · 04-09-2020 2:17pm

If I was to say buy dinner for me and my son and I was to pay for both meals would I be able to claim for both ?

Xterminator · 04-09-2020 3:00pm

yes, if the restaurant is signed up to the scheme and you spend min 25€.

Muahahaha · 04-09-2020 3:30pm

Dempo1 wrote: »

Wasn't this absurd scheme Touted ferociously by Leo a few weeks back and roundly critised by anyone actually listening. It's a nonsense from start to finish, get an allowance against your taxes in 2022? is it really worth the hassle and besides and sadly history tells us customers will be gouged royally, particularly at hotel's. We'll end up paying more to get a pittance of a rebate, just a mind boggling stupid idea which by all accounts has come far too late for some venues, most of whom will extend an already bleak seasonal closing period. Surely a targeted voucher scheme of sorts a more practical idea. Not the SF approach mind you, but Revenue are excellent at retaining Taxpayers details, are we to believe there's no way to target Taxpayers with a voucher as opposed to reminders of motor tax renewals, Property tax reminders etc???

Yeah I agree its cack handed and convoluted. Meanwhile in the UK their Eat Out to Help Out scheme has just finished last week and its been wildly successful with 84,000 restaurants selling over 100 million meals in the space of a single month. There was no need for apps or photographing and uploading receipts, you just went in ordered your food and got 50% off your bill up to a maximum of £10. Restaurants were packed out because of it and its been a huge boost to the industry in getting people back eating out. Many restaurants are saying that they will continue on the 50% off offer for Monday and Tuesday evenings.

CBear1993 · 04-09-2020 8:45pm

In Murray’s tonight on O’Connell st... tried to upload the receipt to revenue app, added all the correct details. It keeps saying the date of the expense is invalid, tried yesterday’s date also.

What’s the issue with that?

Are they hoping people will scrumple up the receipt and forget about it !

odyssey06 · 04-09-2020 8:50pm

CBear1993 wrote: »

In Murray’s tonight on O’Connell st... tried to upload the receipt to revenue app, added all the correct details. It keeps saying the date of the expense is invalid, tried yesterday’s date also.
What’s the issue with that?
Are they hoping people will scrumple up the receipt and forget about it !

Unfortunately you've jumped the gun...

Under the scheme, you are entitled to a tax credit equal to 20% of “qualifying expenditure” incurred from 1 October 2020 to 30 April 2021.

CBear1993 · 04-09-2020 8:59pm

Ahhhhhh. Makes sense!

audi02 · 04-09-2020 9:00pm

Will this work for a stay in October that I've already prepaid for? Also our stay is costing €2000..can I claim for myself and my partner on the 1 receipt?

odyssey06 · 04-09-2020 9:04pm

audi02 wrote: »

Will this work for a stay in October that I've already prepaid for? Also our stay is costing €2000..can I claim for myself and my partner on the 1 receipt?

If the hotel registers with the scheme yes.

Your claim max amount per receipt would depend on whether ye are jointly assessed for tax or not.

If you are not jointly assessed together for tax the revenue website seems to imply you would need:
Where a bill is split between two or more customers, each customer should receive an individual receipt. This receipt should show the share of expenditure incurred by each customer.
https://www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/communications/stimulus/stay-and-spend-tax-credit-incentive.aspx

I wonder if there's a way of splitting the bill so ye get different receipts... by number of night stay or by room bill versus food bill.

audi02 · 04-09-2020 9:07pm

odyssey06 wrote: »

If the hotel registers with the scheme yes.

Your claim max amount per receipt would depend on whether ye are jointly assessed for tax or not.

If you are not jointly assessed together for tax the revenue website seems to imply you would need:
Where a bill is split between two or more customers, each customer should receive an individual receipt. This receipt should show the share of expenditure incurred by each customer.
https://www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/communications/stimulus/stay-and-spend-tax-credit-incentive.aspx

I wonder if there's a way of splitting the bill so ye get different receipts... by number of night stay or by room bill versus food bill.

Great thank you, its an air b&b stay so I'll have to enquire with them first

odyssey06 · 04-09-2020 9:13pm

audi02 wrote: »

Great thank you, its an air b&b stay so I'll have to enquire with them first

It may be a long shot for them to be part of the scheme, for accomodation there's another hoop for providers to jump through - they have to be Failte Ireland registered. I don't think many air b&b type properties are to that level.

audi02 · 04-09-2020 9:14pm

odyssey06 wrote: »

It may be a long shot for them to be part of the scheme, for accomodation there's another hoop for providers to jump through - they have to be Failte Ireland registered. I don't think many air b&b type properties are to that level.

This scheme is probably more hassle than its worth!

Govt scheme:20% off hotels, restaurants. October to April 2021

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