3% Commercial Rates increase agreed for Leitrim for 2022

Leitrim County Council has agreed a 3% increase in Commercial Rates for 2022.

Although a number of councillors expressed the view that this "wasn't the time" to increase rates, especially in the face of the ongoing pandemic and increasing business costs.

Head of Finance, Vincent Dwyer pointed out that the financial impact of the increase would be relatively small for businesses with 80% of rates payers facing a rates bill of €3,000 or less each year. He also noted that commercial rates have been waived for 21 of the last 24 months for businesses as a result of the pandemic.

Chief Executive, Lar Power, noted that the increase in rates and the increase in the Local Property Tax, which was agreed earlier this year, will be ringfenced to provide match funding for the county's "ambitious" capital works programme for the county.