Waterford Crystal will lose a significant amount of business due to changes to a provision in the Government's Brexit omnibus bill.
Waterford TD Matt Shanahan said 60% of US customers will no longer be able to avail of a VAT rebate when they visit the attraction.
Changes to the Retail Export Scheme will mean tourists from outside of Europe will have to spend €75 to get a refund.
The figure has already been reduced from the initial €175 proposed amount.
However, TDs warned that even this amount was too high. Waterford TD Matt Shanahan said it would severely impact sales of crystal to American tourists:
"In my county of Waterford, bus tours and cruise visitors avail of this Vat rebate when purchasing Waterford Crystal, woollens, craft, and traditional gifts and mementos. This tax change is going to affect a significant number of retail businesses and geographic areas. For Waterford Crystal it will remove nearly 60% of all US customer sales and will have a similar affect across the South and West Coasts."
Responding Taoiseach Micheál Martin said a threshold was needed:
"There will be a need for a threshold from an administrative perspective and that's informed by Revenue... I've no doubt the minister will keep this under review but he has brought it down significantly from where it was."
