Westport businesses ‘up in arms’ over ‘crazy’ rates

LOCAL businesses in Westport are said to be ‘up in arms’ after being hit with substantial increases in their annual rate bills.

Speaking to The Mayo News, Westport Chamber of Commerce President Graham Byrne warned that it may not be sustainable for many local businesses to remain open with such rate hikes.

Mr Byrne, who owns Krem Gelateria & Café on Westport’s Bridge Street, recently saw his own bill jump from €3,293.64 to €4,638.99.

Another local business is understood to have seen its rates bill rise by €7,000, while another small premises quadrupled from €600 to €2,400.

“I have to serve 1,500 ice creams just to cover the rates,” Mr Byrne told The Mayo News. Commenting on the challenging bill burden, he added: “I know there’s a lot of other people in the same boat. It’s mad.”

Over 4,600 businesses in Mayo must pay a commercial rates bill to Mayo County Council for 2024. The rates for the coming year were issued on September 15 last.

In 2022, the local authority collected approximately €37.2 million from rates, which made up roughly a quarter of its revenue.

Commercial rates are used to fund various services, ranging from road maintenance to the upkeep of libraries and other public amenities. However, many businesses must still pay separately for such services as waste disposal and water.

‘Wrong attitude’

Mr Byrne said that many local businesses Westport feel they are not getting sufficient value for money by paying rates.

“If we’re going to pay that extra money, why are we paying it and what’s it being spent on and where’s it going?” he asked.

“I just think that there’s a wrong attitude towards business in town. They think we’re making money hand over fist, and we’re not. There’s a lot of people that are getting less than minimum wage. We’re struggling, but we love what we do and that’s why we do it.”

Mr Byrne, who opened his shop on Bridge Street in 2019, said these rate increases are coming at a time when his running costs have ‘gone through the roof’.

“One sugar I use is called dextrose. It used to be €25 a bag; now it’s €75 for the same bag. The same with our skimmed milk powder. That was €25 a bag. Now it’s gone up to €140 a bag,” he explained.

“So it’s crazy increases across the board. It’s just going to make it harder and harder to sustain business in town centres, not only [in] Westport, but across Ireland, if the rates are going up dramatically.”

Counterproductive

Local publican Joe O’Malley, owner of Cosy Joe’s and The Porter House, agreed that the rate increases are ‘going to put a lot of people out of business’.

“It’s very unbalanced, I don’t think it’s logically thought through,” Mr O’Malley told The Mayo News.

Rateable businesses have a right to appeal their rates bill, which are set by Tailte Éireann.

The rates bill is calculated based multiplying the valuation of the property by the Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV). Elected representatives on Mayo County Council have the power to change the AVR, which they have set at €78.42 for 2024.

Westport based-county councillor Peter Flynn said that local businesses are angry about the rate hikes, which he described as ‘absolutely mental’. “There’s going to be a revolt,” he said. “It’s just loopy stuff, some of the bills that have come out.”

Cllr Flynn has tabled a motion before the county council calling for a scheme to ensure that smaller businesses would not be hit with a 2024 rates bill that is higher than their 2023 bill.

“They [business owners] are up in arms at the moment, and I don’t blame them,” said the Fine Gael councillor.

“Government policy – they keep saying it’s about town centre first and encouraging small shops in the centre of a town, and yet you come to a scenario like this where you’re absolutely penalising people for having a premises on a main street in a town.

“There should be an incentive to encourage people to have shops, small shops, on our main streets. Instead of that you’re penalising [them]. It’s just counterproductive.”

Walk-in clinic

A rates Walk-in clinic will be held in Westport tomorrow, Thursday, October 5 from 10am to 4pm in the Westport Civic Offices, Altamount Street, Westport, (F28 W248)

The local Chamber of Commerce are encouraging all businesses who have queries in relation to their Valuation Certificates to attend this clinic. No appointment will be necessary.

As a large number of attendees are expected and to facilitate Westport businesses, the Westport Chamber have offered two of their office spaces in the Leeson Enterprise Centre free of charge to Tailte Éireann on the day, to ensure privacy for those attending and that Westport Business people have access on the day.

Business owners are asked to present to the Civic Office first and register there, Tailte Éireann staff will then direct those with queries to the relevant offices. Tailte Éireann staff will be available to answer ratepayer queries, relating to the issue of the Valuation Certificates.

Please bring your Valuation Certificate with you to the Clinic.

Please see the advice below from Tailte Eireann: “Where a ratepayer is dissatisfied with their Valuation, the ratepayer should appeal to the independent Valuation Tribunal by October 19.”

For more information visit https://www.valuationtribunal.ie/ or https://www.mayo.ie/rates/revaluation-2023