Pat Casey (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator Malcolm Byrne's proposed amendment to the Order of Business. Given that it is 1 May and that today marks the closing date for the business support grants, it is disappointing to see the level of take-up in this regard. We should possibly be looking into why there has not been more success in respect of the numbers taking up the grants. I say this mindful of the fact that businesses can get up to €5,000 back in respect of their commercial rates. I wonder why they are not applying.

This matter also relates to the commercial rates system, which is very antiquated and clunky in how it operates. To get this grant, it is necessary to pay out the money first before a rebate can be obtained. I do not know why people cannot simply get a discount from their commercial rates bill. That is bizarre. We all know the commercial rates process is this antiquated. There is a need to reform it and now is the time to do this. Why should people have to pay out €10,000 to get €5,000 back? This is meant to be a support grant for businesses struggling with their cash flow, but we are asking them to spend the money before they can get it back, instead of just giving people a straight discount off their commercial rates.