Parliamentary Question: Commercial Rates

Question to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Mr. Phil Hogan, TD)

To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of commercial rates written off as bad debts over the past six years for each local authority; the total revenue stream lost to local authorities as a result of commercial rates written off as bad debts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. – Jerry Buttimer.

For WRITTEN answer on Wednesday, 20th November, 2013.

REPLY

The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority. As with all local charges, the invoicing and collection of due amounts is a matter for the local authority concerned to manage in the light of prevailing local circumstances and in accordance with normal accountancy procedures.

Details, sourced from audited local authority Annual Financial Statements, in relation to the amount of commercial rates written off in years 2006 to 2011 (the latest year for which audited data is available), are set out in the table below.

Rates Written Off – 2006-2011 (€)

Authority Name	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Carlow	4,247	48,659	63,701	84,558	65,201	514,264
Cavan	95,267	106,716	78,828	150,332	767,529	1,322,456
Clare	343,619	301,577	419,856	396,538	205,650	269,821
Cork	2,907,572	3,279,302	3,868,254	5,041,167	6,672,558	9,849,863
Donegal	2,011,539	2,137,878	2,302,580	1,363,280	2,492,414	3,432,462
Fingal	652,705	886,521	1,364,689	2,141,388	3,757,096	6,992,569
Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown	0	1,464,053	1,161,247	1,712,032	3,325,110	6,864,448
Galway	1,746,905	1,951,482	2,636,068	2,727,353	4,043,523	3,639,288
Kerry	1,628,376	2,050,403	1,719,763	2,362,878	2,368,421	3,443,752
Kildare	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kilkenny	507,459	498,011	1,013,476	1,237,416	1,699,530	1,808,986
Laois	158,592	119,570	172,267	271,481	659,583	535,774
Leitrim	250,336	339,461	439,741	545,554	696,734	882,051
Limerick	1,577,716	1,720,067	1,948,681	2,644,874	4,028,917	4,150,636
Longford	278,783	272,432	410,706	204,541	117,420	813,425
Louth	519,162	617,097	654,051	756,462	946,116	966,060
Mayo	1,370,803	1,438,372	1,649,093	2,484,383	2,533,929	2,958,216
Meath	0	0	0	0	0	2,610,559
Monaghan	290,748	211,786	274,444	602,947	1,022,223	994,360
North Tipperary	38,921	44,232	77,122	188,260	316,956	409,171
Offaly	689,566	395,289	567,400	803,689	937,826	717,747
Roscommon	26,299	31,383	751,669	1,563,232	1,688,361	2,100,010
Sligo	386,217	176,004	283,838	579,355	671,143	630,018
South Dublin	2,453,856	2,192,432	-188,700	1,687,009	3,012,133	3,559,276
South Tipperary	72,961	3,716	2,380	1,760	24,720	-2
Waterford	364,132	509,005	383,252	408,964	530,506	931,303
Westmeath	34,301	66,805	1,480	236,607	178,733	144,669
Wexford	532,622	606,820	509,989	660,644	398,791	826,444
Wicklow	408,539	579,045	1,260,842	1,464,190	1,730,389	2,300,005
Cork	216,922	188,362	313,373	1,852,616	3,483,443	4,852,617
Dublin	19,900,844	17,718,465	5,616,183	6,247,794	9,035,651	12,882,359
Galway	1,358,281	1,500,777	2,627,132	2,435,131	4,664,801	4,745,866
Limerick	2,454,506	2,742,128	2,079,954	1,823,528	2,676,147	3,570,993
Waterford	116,822	89,214	143,235	189,950	192,323	650,384
Clonmel	32,531	0	0	47,189	38,886	53,726
Drogheda	368,612	952,938	928,391	2,149,886	2,517,366	2,328,721
Kilkenny	148,418	234,328	457,958	555,533	838,460	923,453
Sligo	745,744	1,322,193	661,977	890,046	1,127,339	1,265,723
Wexford	292,330	303,771	209,381	467,995	714,075	693,665
Arklow	87,576	258,683	413,109	520,877	638,080	714,498
Athlone	0	14,374	0	0	99,142	182,549
Athy	0	0	0	0	0	610,532
Ballina	479,587	554,858	525,779	729,526	851,891	814,084
Ballinasloe	234,974	272,079	321,894	324,172	437,460	434,160
Birr	197,494	205,713	270,109	233,453	0	306,211
Bray	467,251	541,561	734,883	704,429	369,999	544,012
Buncrana	359,229	282,927	282,303	762,828	569,131	534,954
Bundoran	30,008	36,039	54,630	87,232	76,240	177,139
Carlow	62,202	58,618	161,463	110,825	116,322	362,801
Carrick on Suir	69,100	14,523	3,253	4,606	0	12,762
Carrickmacross	44,482	36,121	51,037	88,280	78,791	132,419
Cashel	0	0	0	0	0	0
Castlebar	374,745	424,300	537,165	682,085	800,826	861,222
Castleblayney	78,488	90,093	150,298	133,134	143,966	276,944
Cavan	85,465	259,398	213,192	300,985	271,722	422,298
Clonakility	20,874	12,773	12,343	52,862	159,339	118,317
Clones	113,373	65,752	51,175	128,492	121,380	202,715
Cobh	88,714	64,784	125,741	146,664	303,998	226,826
Dundalk	816,465	874,504	409,189	966,133	1,831,808	651,355
Dungarvan	372,368	434,906	276,356	311,792	478,296	575,806
Ennis	263,553	339,577	540,437	591,822	528,930	502,755
Enniscorthy	10,588	11,661	51,780	58,316	131,649	118,904
Fermoy	112,936	102,313	138,402	204,826	224,882	170,099
Kells	0	0	0	0	0	199,690
Killarney	759,775	715,466	654,326	833,203	918,274	1,235,852
Kilrush	16,304	4,793	1,970	7,777	12,820	31,854
Kinsale	19,041	15,216	51,171	14,472	309,488	83,553
Letterkenny	147,578	154,583	347,679	388,328	869,900	918,515
Listowel	96,957	103,557	217,702	209,707	244,837	288,105
Longford	117,150	339,919	339,023	591,740	526,848	840,294
Macroom	34,395	4,899	5,855	51,661	191,450	163,677
Mallow	54,023	56,559	135,168	171,242	246,973	546,072
Midleton	42,296	94,332	80,524	108,601	159,674	286,832
Monaghan	234,785	308,221	299,864	538,040	566,891	592,916
Naas	27,490	5,473	886	0	3,828	18,520
Navan	0	0	0	331,598	996,615	975,358
Nenagh	310,078	177,348	247,242	377,330	386,733	412,067
New Ross	0	24,976	12,565	8,065	93,602	120,724
Skibbereen	89,479	118,618	133,064	161,644	168,981	160,658
Templemore	7,002	5,925	14,354	16,509	39,623	45,549
Thurles	92,734	121,320	215,490	344,008	409,940	634,846
Tipperary	0	1,278	0	0	39,348	7,214
Tralee	974,664	982,956	1,179,870	2,912,370	2,696,114	2,788,085
Trim	0	0	0	0	0	232,801
Tullamore	346,570	543,070	855,628	736,996	701,140	800,081
Westport	89,385	164,327	121,984	149,391	282,849	269,144
Wicklow	207,178	191,001	230,205	291,953	256,035	300,894
Youghal	178,204	182,887	440,598	339,981	321,338	463,991