A Tipperary musician says the VAT paid by wedding bands needs to be reduced.
The Wedding Bands Association has issued a submission to the Department of Finance in recent days calling for a move from the Standard Rate to the Reduced Rate in order to help those in the industry remain competitive and earn a decent return.
Tony Ward, who is originally from Templemore, is a member of Blue Moose who travel the country full time performing at weddings and says current VAT protocols could see costs increase for private clients, which would damage business.
He says that the rising cost of fuel is a particular concern for those in the industry.
“I did my mileage last weekend I did 2,000km. The increase in fuel for me was phenomenal for all of those bookings that were booked for me in 2019. So rather than ringing up the couples and saying I have to increase my price because of the price of fuel… if we got this break in the VAT we would be able to offset putting the cost on the couples.”
He says that while the demand is high at the moment they are still just recovering lost revenue from Covid cancellations.
