Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. I have a certain interest in the matter, and as a rate payer myself I have an understanding of it. It must be the most archaic form of tax in terms of the way it is calculated. It is not fit for the modern world we live in.

One specific aspect of commercial rates and the revaluation that is taking place in a number of counties around the country currently is that the impact it will have on them at the end of the fiscal year can be frightening because some properties have not been revalued for up to 30 or 40 years and could face a significant increase in their rates bill in a one-year period. When one takes the total net effect of valuation for the county and the annual rate of valuation, there will be a significant increase in rates. Is there any way the Minister could harmonise the revaluation process over a period, for example, five years, similar to the harmonisation process currently in train for county council and town council rates?

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