Dublin Chamber said that Budget 2025 should be used to increase investment and accelerate delivery in major capital projects - including public transport, water infrastructure, energy and housing.
Dublin Chamber is the country's biggest chamber of commerce with over 1,000 member companies and is the most representative and broadly-based business group in the Greater Dublin Area.
Dublin Chamber CEO Mary Rose Burke said that housing continues to be a major blockage for recruitment and retention for members and increasing the supply of homes is critical for residents, businesses and investors.
Mary Rose Burke also said the Residential Zone Land Tax must continue to be reviewed so it can be used to activate more land that is zoned and serviced for housing.
"This must be reinforced with a commitment to servicing those areas with key infrastructure such as water, wastewater, public transport, energy and childcare as to not cause any delays in getting much needed housing on stream," she added.
She said that delays in major capital investment in infrastructure such as Uisce Eireann's Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project as well as the Greater Dublin Drainage Scheme, Metro, DART+, and Busconnects is holding Dublin back.
"Due to the failure to address the lack of housing which includes years of pent-up demand, it is therefore necessary that the Housing for All target is revised to a minimum of 53,000 units per year with half of these delivered within the Greater Dublin Area," she added.
Dublin Chamber also today called for a further reduction in the cost of childcare by increasing the universal subsidy under the National Childcare Scheme from €2.14 to €2.70 an hour.
"The Government has seen unprecedented returns in terms of tax revenue, this must now be used to invest in the future, on major capital investment that will bare fruit in the years to come," Mary Rose Burke concluded.
