Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The issue of rates is extremely important, as is the way in which local authorities are currently managed. As regards the template involved, if one compares one local authority with another, are we getting the same value for money in different areas? People talk about shops paying ¤4,000 or ¤5,000 in rates, but it is far more than that. In Cork city, for instance, a shoe shop in Patrick Street is paying annual rates of ¤22,000. The Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork is paying rates of ¤500,000.