Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The value of this debate and Deputy Ó Broin’s comments highlight the impact of the wider problem of the growing dependency of local authorities on rates as their main source of income. In the autumn, local authority members, especially newly-elected councillors, would be seeking to push the boundaries of what local authorities can do. It is then that they suddenly realise local authority revenue fundraising is very dependent on the commercial rates system. That is the essence of the problem.