Sinn Féin Councilors on Donegal County Council have proposed an increase in the Council’s Small Business Grant which they say will reduce the rates bill for thousands of small and medium enterprises in the County.
It comes as Donegal county councillors failed to agree a rate for businesses at yesterday’s annual budget meeting.
Speaking on behalf of the Sinn Féin team on Donegal County Council, Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher said the council has found itself in a “perilous position.”
“Donegal County Council finds itself in a perilous position as it attempts to balance the books and pass a budget for 2018. This is due, in no small part, to the systematic under-funding of our local Council by central Government.
“Consequently, there are two options open to Councillors in order to find a way to balance the €140 million budget book, we either cut services or we raise business rates. As a party, we will not be supporting a cut to services as we believe increased services and more investment in our infrastructure is what’s needed for Donegal. Equally, we cannot countenance a universal increase in rates which would severely imact on our hard-pressed business owners.
“However, Sinn Féin has put forward a proposal to the management and members of Donegal County Council to increase the Council’s Small Business Grant to 10%. This grant allows for a rebate of 10% of the total rates bill up to a maximum of €500 and would, in effect, see a decrease in rates for 90% of the businesses in Donegal.
“We believe these proposals are fair and equitable, allowing for the continue growth of our County while easing the burden on our SME’s.
“We will further engage with management and members of the Council over the coming weeks to progress these proposals.”
Proposal below
Sinn Fein proposal for Budget 2018
Propose to increase the small business grant scheme in line with each percentage point increase in the global rate increase to a maximum of €500.
On a practical level the impact of this proposal would mean 78% of businesses would see a decrease in their rate bill, 12% of businesses would pay less than their charged rates bill for 2018 and only 10% would see a practical increase.
The cost to this scheme is €250,000.
Working examples
A shop in Carndonagh charged €500 in rates for 2017 would pay €475 when the 5% grant was included. The same shop would be charged €525 in 2018 but would only be liable for €472.50 when the 10% grant is included.
A Guesthouse in west Donegal charged €10,000 in rates for 2017 would pay €9,750 when the 5% grant was included. The same hotel would be charged €10,500 in 2018 but would only be liable for €10,000 when the 10% grant is included.
A Hotel in Letterkenny charged €30,000 in 2017 would pay €29,750 when the 5% grant was included. The same hotel would be charged €31,500 in 2018 but would only be liable for €31,000 when the 10% grant is included.
