Markup and Margin Calculator (Ireland)

Ireland sets no maximum prices or regulated margins on ordinary goods and services. What the law controls is how prices are shown. Under the European Communities (Requirements to Indicate Product Prices) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 639/2002), the selling price shown to a consumer must be the final price in euro, including VAT and all other taxes, and a trader who breaks the rule commits an offence. Wholesalers selling only to other businesses may show prices without VAT. A shop must also show the unit price, such as per kilogram or per litre, beside the selling price on pre-packed and bulk goods, with exemptions for items sold by the piece and for restaurants and cafés.

Since 29 November 2022 a price reduction announcement must state the prior price, which is the lowest price charged in at least the 30 days before the reduction (S.I. No. 597/2022, regulation 5A). Percentage or amount discounts must be calculated from that prior price, and successive reductions in one sales campaign keep the same prior price. A breach is an offence punishable by a class A fine, and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) can also issue a fixed payment notice.

Four trades have their own display orders. Hairdressers and barbers must post a notice of charges for every service, with letters at least 6 millimetres high (Charges (Hairdressing) Display Order 1976). Restaurants and cafés must show menu prices, including any minimum, service or cover charge. Licensed premises must show a full drink price list in each bar and a 16-item list at the entrance. Petrol stations must show per-litre prices on roadside signs, with figures of at least 20 centimetres. Charging more than the displayed price is a misleading price indication under the Consumer Protection Act 2007. For a markup, that means the price to enter is the tax-inclusive one the customer will see.