Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 November 2020
365. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to waive commercial rates for the first quarter of 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36335/20]
View answerIn recognising the difficulties faced by businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Programme for Government – “Our Shared Future” committed to set out how commercial rates will be treated for the remainder of 2020. One of the earliest priorities of both Minister O'Brien and I was to secure funding to provide a waiver of commercial rates for businesses impacted by the pandemic, while simultaneously supporting local authorities.
€600m was allocated by Government to fund the cost of a six-month waiver of rates from 27 March to 27 September 2020, which took the form of a credit in lieu of rates. To strengthen this support, the Government subsequently announced an extension of the waiver until 27 December 2020, at an additional cost of €300m. The criteria for the extended waiver remains the same and it is intended that the waiver for the final quarter will be automatically applied to rate accounts that benefitted from the six-month waiver. This brings to €900m the financial support to fund the cost of a waiver of commercial rates, which is an unprecedented measure that offers support to businesses and certainty to local authorities.
Further funding relating to commercial rates and the ongoing impact of COVID-19 in 2021, will be considered in 2021 when there is greater certainty regarding the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. Any extension of the waiver into 2021, or application of a further waiver to particular sectors, would need to be considered in the context of the public health measures in place and the overall suite of business supports made available by the Government to that point. However, the matter will be kept under review.
