Written answers

Wednesday, 19 January 2022

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Commercial Rates

Photo of Emer HigginsEmer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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485. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason that event companies are not included in the quarter 4 2021 commercial rates waiver administered by local authorities given the significant curtailment to events, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has directly impacted event companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63447/21]

Photo of Peter BurkePeter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Government recouped €729m to local authorities to fund the cost of a rates waiver in 2020.  This meant that for eligible businesses their commercial rates were funded by Government for nine months of 2020.  A further €424m was recouped to local authorities by Government to fund the cost of a commercial rates waiver for the first nine months of 2021.  These are unprecedented measures, which offered support to businesses and financial certainty to local authorities. 

The Government, in Budget 2022, announced a more targeted commercial rates waiver for quarter 4 of 2021 to cover the hospitality, leisure and entertainment, and tourism sectors. €62.3m has been allocated by Government for this waiver.  On 3 December 2021 an extension of the current targeted waiver covering the hospitality and tourism sectors was announced.  The waiver will now run until the end of March 2022. 

Local authorities levy rates on 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 Acts 2001 to 2015.  Valuation lists identify categories of commercial property.  Because of this, commercial rates and consequently eligibility for the rates waiver schemes, are based on property categories. Eligibility for the quarter 4 waiver is predominantly based on specific hospitality, leisure and entertainment, and tourism property categories.  Within this context office and industrial property categories are not eligible for the Q4 waiver.

Government has the challenge of balancing competing demands for finite resources. The Q4 2021 and Q1 2022 targeted rates waivers are separate, standalone schemes and in recognition of the resources available, many businesses that benefited from previous waivers are no longer eligible. As with all public health measures and associated supports, the waiver of commercial rates will be kept under review. However, there are no current plans to extend the scope of the waiver.

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