Seán Conlan (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this issue. I welcome the Government amendment to the motion. I have been a commercial ratepayer in the past and I understand the concerns about this issue among the business community given the current economic climate. The Fianna Fáil Deputies who tabled the original motion made much of the fact that they identified no less than 16 issues, all listed in the original motion, which they wish the Government either to note or act upon. If it was that simple, they would have done it when they were in government. It is a pity they did not address the issue over the years.

As the Minister, Deputy Hogan, pointed out yesterday, the removal of domestic rates by Fianna Fáil in 1977 was a serious mistake and was done for narrow political reasons. It left the business community carrying the can for local authority funding. We need to shape a far more efficient system which, while gathering revenue for local authorities, will be fair to an already under siege business sector and which will protect and encourage job creation. The revaluation of commercial property has been comprehensively undertaken only in Dublin and I welcome the Minister's proposed legislation to amend the Valuation Act 2001 with a view to streamlining and speeding up the Valuation Office. I also welcome the Minister's intention to allow the Commissioner for Valuation to pilot the introduction of a new self-assessment valuations process and to outsource valuation work.

Higher rates on new start-ups stifle badly needed new business development and do nothing to tackle the issue of vacant commercial premises throughout the country. A special rate exemption should be introduced to give new businesses every chance of survival in the early stages.

As a Deputy for the Border constituency of Cavan-Monaghan it would be remiss of me not to refer to the particular problems facing ratepayers in Border areas. They must contend with the ravages of the current recession and cross-Border competition. Currency and VAT fluctuations are an annual and weekly problem and have a profound impact on business stability in Border areas. This is an issue the Government should address once and for all. I call on the Government to consider providing a rate rebate programme that would benefit businesses which trade domestically in the six Border counties. This programme could be administered by the county managers and funding could be drawn from a central Exchequer fund to make up for local shortfalls. Any such measure would do much to bring stability to businesses in Border areas and at the same time inject confidence in a community under considerable strain. Will the Minister strongly consider piloting the proposed self-assessment rate programme in the Border counties?

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