Donegal County Council is set to write to the government to request that the commercial rates waiver be retained in 2022.
The request was put forward by Cllr Martin Farren at this week’s council meeting.
Cllr Farren said the measure would support businesses in recognition of the ongoing impact that Covid-19 is having on the sector.
Cllr Farren told the council that the new variant has cast uncertainty on 2022, and waivers into 2022 could make a major difference.
“It would be vitally important to businesses out there if that were to happen, it can mean the difference in staying open and having to close down,” Cllr Farren said.
The council agreed to write to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the matter.
During 2020, 4,159 businesses in Donegal benefitted from a nine-month waiver of Commercial Rates at a total cost of €14.9m. The waiving of Commercial Rates for some businesses continued into 2021 on a more targeted basis. By the end of 2021, it is expected that Commercial Rates waivers will have been applied to approximately 2,800 businesses in Donegal in 2021 at an estimated cost of €12.5m.
Other supports provided by the Council’s Local Enterprise Office and Economic Development Division, such as Covid-19 Business Restart Grants, were key elements of the national response to supporting businesses throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
