Cork barber claims Budget 2025 has 'done nothing for businesses'

A well-known Cork city barber has expressed his disappointment over Budget 2025 claiming it has “done nothing for businesses”.

Mick Moriarty of The Baldy Barber — the city’s oldest barber shop — said that the Government has not recognised his industry and said that more needs to be done to reduce the Vat rate for barbers and hairdressers.

“My problem is that I cannot understand why the Irish Hairdressers Federation doesn’t complain about paying big Vat,” he said.

Speaking about the attention that is put on the hospitality industry, compared to other industries such as the hairdressing and barbering industry, he said: “I don’t understand why barbering and hairdressing is in the same league as hospitality.

“I can never understand it. They’re all talking about the 13.5% Vat rate for hospitality but there is no one speaking about barbers or hairdressers.”

Mr Moriarty also raised concerns about the fall in the number of customers coming through the doors due to a lot of competition in the city.

“25 years ago, there were 15 barber shops in Cork city. Now, there are over 220 barber shops,” he said.

“We would usually do three or four haircuts in an hour and we’re not even doing that anymore. There are too many barbershops.

“In most barber shops, they don’t work a full day anymore, maybe on a Saturday but not during the week anymore. I used to have three people on a Monday with myself and we’re down to the bare minimum now.”

Mr Moriarty has called for more within the industry to demand a decrease in the Vat rate in order to allow barber shops to keep their doors open.

The Irish Hairdressers Federation had lobbied for the restoration of the 9% Vat rate in advance of Budget 2025 as well as more targeted grants and support for salons concerning high energy costs and rates.