Miconex meets First Minister to drive forward 'It's Not Trivial' campaign

John Swinney was in Dublin for a St. Andrew’s Day Reception, as part of efforts to forge stronger links between Scotland and Ireland, meeting Irish President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Miconex’s meeting with John Swinney took place at the British Embassy in Dublin on the 26th November, with Miconex CEO Colin Munro, Head of Customer Experience Ireland Davin Doherty and Business Development Manager Ireland Mark Cunningham in attendance. During the meeting, Miconex were able to share greater detail on the ‘It’s Not Trivial’ campaign which is calling for an increase in the Trivial Benefits Allowance from £50 to £1,500 across five non-cash gifts each year, outlining Miconex’s unique position in demonstrating how this change could positively impact towns and cities.

Miconex’s multi-award winning Town & City Gift Card initiative is active across the UK and Ireland, with the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card backed by Scotland’s Towns Partnership active across Scotland. Our local Gift Cards allow towns and cities to divert online spend back into their local economy and, importantly, give organisations a local option for their employee rewards and incentives. John Swinney was particularly interested in the increased uptake in local Gift Cards in Ireland versus Scotland and other countries. The Miconex team were able to share evidence from two of our Town & City Gift Card programs in Ireland, highlighting the impact of the generous Small Benefit Exemption in Ireland. Around 85km apart, Letterkenny in the Republic of Ireland and Enniskillen in Northern Ireland are towns with similar population sizes and a strong ‘shop local’ ethos. Yet, Letterkenny has the Small Benefit Exemption scheme with a €1,500 threshold (following an increase in January 2025) and Enniskillen has the Trivial Benefit Allowance with a £50 limit. Letterkenny achieved €7m in sales in 2024 with an average corporate order value of €17,224. In comparison, Enniskillen achieved £228,000 in sales in 2024 with an average corporate order value of £4,500. A case study was shared with John Swinney outlining this startling contrast in depth, and the impact a change in the Trivial Benefits Allowance would have for people, places and communities.

The Miconex team were also able to share greater detail on the rise of ‘shop local’ sentiment in Ireland, Scotland and beyond, and why organisations are increasingly switching to locally focused Town & City Gift Cards because they:

• Support CSR objectives – 89% of firms say supporting local businesses/their community is important to their organisation
• Are highly valued by employees – 97% would like to receive a Gift Card from work that can be spent with local independent and national businesses

Miconex is a passionate supporter of the GCVA ‘It’s Not Trivial’ campaign because we are uniquely placed to see the impact a change in the Trivial Benefits Allowance would have. If UK tax policy on employee benefits were to move closer to the Irish model, all UK towns and cities would benefit. Scotland in particular would be well placed to benefit through the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card infrastructure which is already in place across all 32 local authorities, enabling Scotland to rapidly deliver substantial employer‑driven spend directly into local businesses and communities. 

The 'It's Not Trivial' campaign continues and we're proud to drive forward this important action alongside the GCVA. If you'd like to be a part of the campaign, please get in touch at support@mi-cnx.com. Together, we can create transformative change in our towns and cities.