Written answers
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
Commercial Rates
6:00 pm
Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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Question 358: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the serious commercial difficulty for traders in a town in County Kilkenny arising from the lack of action to eliminate the flood risk to their town, the scale of which is identified in an Office of Public Works-Kilkenny County Council Flood Risk Management Study in 2010, from which they believe their circumstances warrants relief from commercial rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11812/11]
Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Office of Public Works is the lead Government agency for implementing the National Flood Policy in matters of flood risk and mitigation.
Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Act 2001. The Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV), which is applied to the valuation of each property to obtain the amount payable in rates, is decided by the elected members of each local authority in the annual budget and its determination is a reserved function of a local authority.
The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority. However, my Department has urged local authorities to exercise restraint in setting the Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV) in this and previous years. Local authorities have responded positively to these requests. Across the 88 local authorities, annual rates on valuation declined by an average of 0.64% from 2010 to 2011.
I continue to keep all matters relating to commercial rates under regular review.
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