Ms Jackie Maguire:

I will comment on rates. As previous speakers indicated, the area of local government finance is complex. Revenue does not come from one source. When we get funding from other Departments, it is for a specific purpose. This means that money from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is spent on roads, etc. It is increasingly more complex and the sources, not just from the Departments but also the State agencies, be it Enterprise Ireland, through the local enterprise offices, LEOs, the National Transport Authority or whatever.

We would all have a different view of the local property tax. It is one area in respect of which we, as a representative group, would not agree. I have to argue it from both sides. Having spent some time in Leitrim County Council, I am aware that the county is a beneficiary but that, for example, County Meath is a net contributor. Each local authority has been guaranteed baseline funding and that is required in order to deliver the service. One then has to look to at where a local authority has discretion, which is in the area of other charges. Predominantly, that would be commercial rates. For the past ten years, there has been no significant increase in rates. In the past two years, some local authorities have moved to giving a general increase in the commercial rate for specific purposes, be it within their own counties. I know that we have not increased commercial rates in County Meath since 2007. Our purpose has been to expand the rate base rather than increase the rates.