Press release
Minister McGrath welcomes State aid approval for enhanced Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Minister McGrath has welcomed European Commission approval of further enhancements to the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) under the State Aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (TCTF).
TBESS was announced as part of Budget 2023 to help businesses meet rising energy costs which occurred as a result of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. TBESS is a support available to tax compliant businesses experiencing increases in electricity or natural gas costs. The scheme operates on a self-assessment basis, is administered by the Revenue Commissioners and is funded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Enhancements to the scheme were brought forward in Finance Bill 2023 as part of the new cost-of-living measures announced by the government in February. These enhancements, which were approved by the European Commission, include:
The time limit for making claims under the scheme has also been extended.
The enhancement for which State aid approval was received are in addition to amendments made by the Minister in February of this year when he exercised the power to increase the monthly limit on aid under the scheme to €15,000 per qualifying business in relation to a trade or profession, subject to an overall cap of €45,000 in cases where a business is carried on from more than one location. These changes took effect from 1 March 2023.
Speaking today, Minister McGrath said:
“I am pleased to note that the European Commission has approved the enhancements to TBESS brought forward in Finance Bill 2023. These changes, in particular the lower entry threshold for the scheme, which is backdated to September 2022, will ensure that additional businesses can benefit from this vital support and I encourage businesses who have not already done so to register for and submit claims under the scheme.”
As of 13 April, 27,763 businesses have registered for the scheme. Revenue has approved 34,227 claims to a value of €74.86 million.
Further information on the additional enhancements to the scheme including the timeline for processing of applications under the revised terms of the scheme will be available shortly on the Revenue website.
The government’s Reduce Your Use campaign provides a signpost to specific, existing sources of help that are out there, to help people identify appropriate supports for their needs.
'Reduce Your Use' is a cross-government public information campaign which commenced in April 2022.
Where safe and possible, people are being asked to reduce energy wastage. Using less energy will help homes and businesses to save money.
Key partners involved in the Reduce Your Use campaign are the CRU (Commission for Regulation of Utilities), MABS (Money and Budgeting Advice Service), ALONE and SEAI.
This campaign is research-led. Current research shows that people are worried about the energy situation, but also shows they want advice on how to make the biggest differences to their energy bills.