David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 20:

In page 40, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following:"(2) Each municipal district may, in respect of that district, set an additional commercial rate for premises occupied by large commercial entities which exceed such thresholds in turnover or other economic activity as may be prescribed.".

I want to speak to these amendments that are grouped, which seek to do a number of things. I want to make a general point on the issue of rates. It is important that in the context of any reform of local government we examine the funding of local government and the rates issue. The Minister mentioned this in his Second Stage speech and in response to a number of earlier amendments where we briefly touched on the issue of rates. The Minister may know that in my county of Waterford we had a revaluation of rates, which was a disaster for many small and medium-sized businesses and retailers who got notice that the rates were going to be doubled and trebled. While the Minister has made an extra allocation of funding available to the new merged local authority in Waterford, and that will be helpful, I hope that it will be able to use that money to reduce the rates burden on businesses in Waterford-----