The Revenue Commissioners have extended today’s deadline for businesses to claim a partial rebate of their September 2022 gas and electricity costs, according to reports in a number of media outlets today.
The Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) was announced last September as part of Budget 2023, and is intended to support businesses with increased energy costs during the winter months.
A business can make a claim under the scheme if it:
- holds a current Tax Clearance Cert
- carries on a qualifying trade or profession. (This includes certain charities and sporting bodies) and
- has experienced a significant increase of 50% or more in its average unit price for electricity and/or natural gas.
Qualifying businesses can claim a refund of 40% of the increases in their monthly energy bills, compared to the same month last year – for example September 2022 vs. September 2021.
The scheme has been criticised for being cumbersome and bureaucratic to claim – and to date the uptake on it has been disappointing. Last Wednesday, the Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath confirmed that only “15,275 businesses have registered for the scheme”. While obviously this number will increase with the extension of today’s deadline, it is difficult to see a major turnaround at this late stage, as the scheme has been open for registrations since 29 November last.
The Revenue website contains a useful summary of how the scheme works, while the more detailed TBESS Guidelines outline in detail each aspect of its terms and conditions.
Thomas McGibney & Company 