The price of a pint at your local could be about to go up.
According to the Chairperson of the Cork City and County branch of the Vinteners' Federation of Ireland, Michael O'Donovan. pubs will be forced to close down if the government waits until October's budget to alleviate the skyrocketing cost of doing business.
He also said the government needs to reduce VAT rates on gas, electricity and fuel to bring expenses under control.
Many vinteners rely on the summer months to carry them through the rest of the year, but falling margins mean they won't have the means to keep going.
Speaking to RedFM News, Michael O'Donovan says publicans may be forced to up their prices:
"It's very challenging at the moment, we're seeing our energy increasing month on month, electricity and gas are having an effect, so much so that our breakeven point is increasing month by month, everything is increasing. It's coming to the stage where it's gonna have a knock on effect to the consumer. At present, we're trying to shield the consumer from increasing prices, but some places have had to increase the prices over the last number of weeks which is difficult."
