SOUTH Dublin Chamber of Commerce has called for a
reform of local funding after the Government acknowledged that council rates
are a barrier to creating employment and building businesses.
In its latest jobs initiative, announced last month,
the Government said that commercial charges levied by local authorities were
hampering job creation.
The initiative aims to create some 200,000 jobs by
2020, with the first 100,000 delivered by 2016 at the latest.
However, South Dublin Chamber has called for a full
overhaul of the commercial rates sector in an attempt to boost business and
promote employment.
Chief executive, Peter Byrne, said that rates
valuations on property in the South Dublin County Council area were calculated
at the height of the Celtic Tiger.
“This needs to be addressed immediately,
? he said.
“The Government has published a highly ambitious plan that makes it clear that
to create jobs we must cut costs for business.
“The report highlights commercial rates and
development charges as a high cost to business that needs to be curbed. We
believe that not only is there a need for restraint, there is a need for
complete reform. It is time for the Government to reduce the cost of doing
business and not keep talking about it.
?
Mr Byrne claimed
that businesses currently contribute 50 per cent of South Dublin County
Council’s revenue, which is the highest in the country.
But he said that businesses could not be expected to
meet the costs of all the services offered by local authorities.
“The introduction of water charges, property taxes and
other levies provide the opportunity not just to raise revenue but to rebalance
the way that services are funded,
? he said.
“There is a need for a user pays
approach to services. We can no longer afford the default approach that
businesses will foot the entire bill for local services.
?
He added:
“The Government wants to create 100,000 jobs
by 2016. It can only do this by creating the environment in which businesses
can create jobs. A key part of that is reducing local charges to business and
implementing a fairer funding system for local government.
?
A spokesman for the Department of the Environment
pointed out that the Programme for Government includes a commitment to a
fundamental reorganisation of local structures.
“Wider policy proposals will be brought to Government
in the near future with particular attention being given to strengthening local
structures at regional, county and sub-county levels,
? he said.