Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As my colleagues have outlined, Fianna Fáil is supporting the Bill but will also table amendments. We have been hearing for far too long the wonderful ideas about overhauling commercial rates. It is wonderful to see there are positive steps being taken, though they are very small. Many rate payers right across the country would prefer more dramatic or significant steps to be taken on it. It is a step in the right direction but we need to see many other improvements. One of the things rate payers often highlight to us is the effort to build up town centres again. Over the years, the shopping experience in town centres has changed from a market town experience to that of out-of-town shopping centres and, more recently, to online shopping. We saw it with An Post before Christmas and from speaking to local postmen we know the volume they are bringing through has increased dramatically. The taxation system needs to reflect more realistically what is happening on the ground and not an old system that was put in place many years ago based on a fictitious valuation which is multiplied locally by the council.

We also need to take a realistic approach to businesses' ability or inability to pay because there are businesses that are seriously challenged from time to time. If there was some way of having a softer approach to get businesses over the hump it would make a difference. All too often we have seen the council wanting to rush into court, at the expense of the rate payer, to get the sheriff's order to hang over the rate payer as a threat. There should be some other way of having to take into account the businesses' inability to pay if they can show there is an issue and they will be over it shortly. Very often seasonal businesses and hoteliers have raised it with me as have many other smaller businesses.

Le fada an lá tá sé cloiste againn go gcaithfí athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar an tslí atá na rátaí á íoc agus go gcaithfí athchóiriú ceart a dhéanamh ar an dlí. Is iontach an rud é go bhfuil deis ann anois agus go bhfuil céimeanna chun tosaigh ann, cé gur céimeanna beaga iad. Mar sin, beidh Fianna Fáil ag tacú leis an mBille seo ach i ndáiríre, beimid ag tabhairt roinnt rudaí chun cinn chun feabhsúcháin a dhéanamh air, mar shample go háirithe leis an tslí a bhíonn an éifeacht ar lár na bailte. Tá sé feicthe againn le fada an slí gur theip ar a lán de na bailte. Bhí siad ar fad ag braith ar mhargaí nuair a bhíodh daoine ag teacht isteach ach tá rudaí athruithe le fada agus tá na siopaí móra amuigh ar an imeall agus le déanaí tá an t-ualach mór ag druidim ar an idirlíon. Tá sé le feiceáil leis na couriers agus An Post mar shampla agus fiú an slí a bhfuil seirbhís nua acu i gcomhar an Sathairn chun an t-ualach mór a thabhairt chun cinn.

Caithfear cur san áireamh chomh maith go bhfuil roinnt gnóthaí nach féidir leo an t-ualach a íoc ó am go ham. Ba chóir go mbeadh slí éigin chun é sin a chur san áireamh. Bíonn deacrachtaí ag comhlachtaí ar nós óstáin agus go leor eile. Bíonn brú orthu ag tréimhse áirithe den bhliain agus caithfear é sin a chur san áireamh. Caithfidh sé sin a bheith sa Bhille nó i gceann eile a bheidh ag teacht chun cinn.

Mar atá ráite, is céim chun tosaigh é. Tá i bhfad níos mó feabhsúcháin ag teastáil ach is céim chun tosaigh é seo agus beimid ag cur moltaí eile chun cinn chun é a fheabhsú.

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