Joe Lynam

simply because we started with regulating to keep AI under the thumb.

ASML's chief financial officer, Roger Dassin, told an event in Eindhoven this week.

Someone who has a talent for artificial intelligence, the first thing they do with their hard-earned money is buy a ticket to Silicon Valley, as Dassin said.

Breakfast Business with Enterprise Ireland on Newstalk.

So we heard from Colin from PwC about the macro picture.

But what might we expect today from the government in the budget for small businesses?

And what should they expect and what do they really need?

David Broderick is the chief executive of the Small Firms Association and is sitting in front of me.

Good morning, David.

Morning, Joe.

So what would you like to see today for small companies?

The minimum wage goes to a certain level.

It means the experience, let's say five or ten year experience, their wages also have to go up and the people above them, their wages have to go up.

So it's a chain reaction that happens.

On top of that, you've had holiday pay, sickness pay, and we're soon going to get auto-enrollment.

Auto-enrollment is coming in and that is going to be a cost for small businesses.

Do you feel they're being ignored?

One of the biggest changes that has been well flagged is a cut in the VAT rate for food service companies or in the hospitality sector from 13.5% down to 9%.

That's going to swallow up most of the tax package.

Some of your members will be very pleased about that, but will most of them be saying, well, why not us?