John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Over a period of two years, 1,560 small businesses went to the wall. Many of them say their biggest problems were rent and rates. After that came car parks and overhead costs. I have spoken to small business owners in my own constituency. Even on the outskirts of the city they are paying the same rent per metre as the big stores in the centre of the city.

I spoke to the owner of a small business where only two people are employed. The business is paying €8,000 in rent per year. That may not sound like a large amount but it is a great deal of money to a small business with only two people trying to make a living out of it.

The introduction of a differential rent scheme is a reasonable request for small businesses to make, considering what huge shopping centres can pay. The big centres may also be experiencing difficulty but not to the same extent as small businesses, so many of which have been foreclosed.

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