Ms Linda Barry:

I appreciate all of the comments, particularly the recognition of the issues on the rates side for smaller businesses. As stated a number of times, people are willing to pay their way. However, from a small business perspective the link between what they are paying and the services they get in return has become confused. Over the last number of years a huge number of the services that would logically be connected with the rates payment have been separated out from the system, including waste and water which are now paid for separately. Small businesses want to pay their way but they also want to see that they are getting services for their business in return and are not just subsidising the domestic users of the services.

On the one size fits all issue, a particular issue for our members is that of established businesses versus new businesses. Often when we talk in a policy sense a lot of the ideas thrown around town centre regeneration and so on are about giving rates holidays and so on to new businesses. Our members have a real issue with this in terms of the equity between those businesses that have struggled through the tough years and kept going and retained staff and their being treated differently to new businesses. I ask that Government remain conscious of that. Perhaps one size does not fit all but we must also be conscious of the equity angle.