Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 January 2019
55. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to address the negative impact of rates on small businesses in small villages and towns in rural Ireland. [52144/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraLocal authorities have a statutory obligation to levy rates on property used for commercial purposes, in accordance with the details in the valuation lists prepared by the Commissioner of Valuation. The Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV), decided by local authority members annually, is applied to the valuation determined by the Valuation Office, to calculate the amount payable. Rates income is vital to the delivery of local services and the elected members adopt the ARV they consider necessary in order to provide those services.
The national average ARV has not changed significantly in recent years. It decreased slightly each year from 2010 to 2015 and increased, only slightly, each year from 2016 to 2018.
Local authorities may offer assistance or money in kind in order to promote the interests of the local community, which includes the economic and general development of the administrative area of the authority concerned. Local authorities also work closely with ratepayers experiencing difficulty in the payment of rates and facilitate flexible payment options that reflect capacity to pay.
The Local Government (Rates) Bill 2018 was published in August 2018 and includes provisions to allow local authorities to introduce rates alleviation schemes to support policy objectives, including, local economic and community plans; development objectives and national planning policies. I hope the Bill can be progressed through both Houses as early as possible this year.
