A SURVEY of Limerick Chamber members has confirmed that rate payments have dramatically improved this year.
The Chamber says it attributes this to improved performance across all sectors as confidence returns to the economy.
Speaking ahead of Limerick City and County Council’s annual budget meeting on November 20, Limerick Chamber chief executive Dr James Ring said that local businesses will fund 35 per cent of Limerick’s local authority total income through the payment of €53 million in commercial rates in 2015.
“Speaking with our members, we know that the payment of rates in the current period has drastically increased, reflecting the upturn in activity in the economy, particularly improvements in the level of employment in this region. A confidence and vibrancy is returning to the streets across our city and towns. We urge the council to adopt policies that enable this business growth not hamper job creation opportunities.”
Acknowledging that many businesses continue to struggle with legacy commercial rate debt issues, Dr Ring urged them “to engage with the local authority and negotiate a repayment schedule”.
In advance of the local authority budget meeting for 2016, Dr Ring reminded elected representatives that “an increase in rates penalises those who are paying to subsidise those businesses that are not up to date with their payments”.
Last week, the City and County Council issued 27 summonses to local business owners for non-payment of commercial rates. A spokesman for the council said that some of the cases had been cleared and payment plans agreed in other instances.
