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STRUGGLING SMALLER BUSINESSES in Dublin city are being encouraged to contact Dublin City Council for support.
Ratepayers are encouraged to get in contact about deferring rates payments and restructuring payment plans when needed. They will be treated “sympathetically”, the council said.
“Ratepayers should contact their rate collector to discuss the matter and agree an appropriate arrangement in these unprecedented circumstances,” said Kathy Quinn, head of finance with Dublin City Council.
Businesses had been asking that those rates be waived, rather than deferred, to help them stay afloat.
Any occupied non-domestic property must pay a commercial rates charge annually to Dublin City Council.
In a statement, the council said its rates office will “work with” small and medium sizes businesses who have been financially impacted by Covid-19.
Businesses that can continue to pay their outstanding rates are advised to continue to do so.
“Those that are in a position to discharge their rate payments early are also encouraged to do so in order to support the provision of City Council services,” the council said.
New data from Dublin Town, a group representing businesses in the city, said that most customer-facing businesses in the city are now closed, except some essential retail services.
Footfall in Dublin city dropped by 65.8% between last Monday and yesterday, according to Dublin Town.
Last week, Dublin City Council’s Chief Executive Owen Keegan said that some Dublin businesses can pay their commercial property rates, and should continue to during the Covid-19 shutdown.
Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, President of the Irish Hotels Federation, had described proposals to defer rates payments as “wholly inadequate” and a futile exercise.
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People can give out all they want about people going in large numbers to shops that are open but shouldnt be.
And they are right.
But until the government steps in and does more then what they are doing to support these businesses (plus renters or those with mortgages) how do you expect these business to just shut up shop or indeed the employees just stop going in to earn a living.
Every other country has provided or have set everything up to be provided by not our government.
All we get are words which in reality mean nothing, rates should be stopped, mortgages should be frozen with no effect on credit ratings (you can get an interest option but it effects credit rating – as of this morning) rents should be frozen and then we can properly self isolate with alot less stress.
@Paul Fogarty: All bills should be frozen until the quarantine is over. Rates, rents, utilities, mortgages. Any business or state body which refuses to comply with this should be named, shamed, and permanently boycotted by the citizenry.
Always count on DCC to throw a spanner in the works of a situation like this. Even the banks agreed to suspend mortgage repayments while everything is shut down FFS. Asking people to pay bills or incur debt while asking them not to work is moronic.
@Patrick FitzGerald: None of those organisations will lose and that includes the banks. You might think you are getting a break but when things come back to normal you will be nailed to the wall financially. The problem here in this country is the people allow it to happen.
I will keep paying my mortgage because I know that will cost me a fortune to put a stop on it for a few months. It’s simply not worth the torment because the people of this country are not protected against the banks and utilities. They will get their pound of flesh.
have your say