Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 30:

In page 26, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following:

“Report on new sources of income

35.The Mayor may prepare a report for the consideration of the Minister for Finance identifying potential new sources of income for the local authority for the development of Limerick, based on international best practice.”.

With respect to the previous amendments that were withdrawn, I withdrew with leave to reintroduce them on Report Stage. Amendment No. 30 is an eminently sensible amendment, if I do say so myself. It proposes that the mayor, within a year of taking office, prepare a report for the Minister for Finance that would look at possible new sources of revenue for Limerick city and county. There is a tradition that elected mayors across the world, whether in France, Switzerland, Germany, the UK, North America, generally have the ability to raise finance. It is with this finance that they can pursue their vision and implement their programme.

It is sensible that the mayor would produce a report but to prescribe it in legislation puts an onus on the Minister of Finance to consider it. The Minister of Finance of the day can then do whatever he or she sees fit. What this does is it enables the mayor to examine possible new sources of finance which could be very helpful for the mayor.

I was travelling in Europe in the summer and stayed in hotels as I went along. Every night I made the booking on booking.com but separately had to pay a tourist tax at the hotel every night in any country, region, or city I was in. It was approximately 50 cent to €1.50 but this revenue, which the mayor in those places was accruing, was very substantial and was paying for really critical services that helped the tourism economy through the provision of services such as transport, waste management, and so on. It also helped the local people because the very same services are of benefit to them too.

As well as that, by raising finance in that kind of way - I am not saying a tourist is necessarily the way to do it - the mayor should be able to examine new sources of revenue and there should be an implied power in the legislation for the mayor to recommend to the Minister for Finance of the day that certain revenue streams should be explored. It is very much in line with the tradition of directly elected mayors across the world. It makes absolute sense and I ask that the Minister of State agree to the amendment.