Two thirds of Irish people feel that tipping has become less voluntary, new research has found. 

The figures released by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) found that while 90% tip some of the time, three quarters would like it to be made easier to opt out. 

20% also said they had recently paid a bill with an unexpected extra charge on it. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, CCPC spokesperson Simon Barry “transparency is vital”. 

 “The fundamental principle from our perspective here is that the decision to tip should be a personal choice for consumerism,” he explained. 

“And they must be able to easily choose whether or not to tip and if they're going to tip how much.

“So, we're launching a campaign targeting information to the business community in order to help guard against any issues like this that some of our research has thrown up.” 

An empty glass and a tip. Picture by: Travelman / Alamy.

Mr Barry added that while most Irish people remain “positively disposed to tipping”, he warned that consumers must find it “easy to avoid” as well. 

“That is just good practice,” he said. 

“In other words, it should be clear and transparent for consumers when they get to the point of sale, that they have the ability to choose to tip and to make a decision about how much to tip, but also that they should be easily able to avoid that if that is their choice. 

“And also when it comes to mandatory service charges on bills, these must be communicated very clearly in advance to consumers.

“When it comes to optional service charges, they mustn't be automatically added to bills - that is something that consumers must explicitly agree to in advance, not something that they need to opt out of.”

Main image: A plate with a bill and tips in it. Picture by: Zoonar GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo