Geoff's v Waterford City Council

SPQRI

mike65 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with domestic rates, or is that your point?

Where do they find these idiots?

mike65

Meaning?

kryogen

SPQRI wrote: »

Where do they find these idiots?

People who feel they should have to pay for nothing?

SPQRI

kryogen wrote: »

People who feel they should have to pay for nothing?

What are we in reality paying for?

You are paying for the millions gambled by those who had a decent enough of a living who wanted more! How many millions do you need to live comfortably?


This will happen again & again after when this recession eventually lifts.
The taxpayer will always be there to bail out the banks.

mike65

What the **** does any of that have to do with secure, predictable local government funding?

7upfree

SPQRI wrote: »

The taxpayer will always be there to bail out the banks corrupt failed economic entities..

FYP.

sparkling sea

You woud have to wonder if Geoff's would be the right business to spear head a war against rates??

Rates do have to be paid, but even just a small bit of reality wouldn't go amiss when calculating the amount a business can afford to pay.

Businesses who are on the brink of going bust because of the amount they are requested to pay in rates, should be exempt. Forcing business to fold does nothing to help our economy, we have less tax income, more jobseekers expenditure and more empty units that are neglected.

The emphasis should be on supporting businesses at this time and not engaging in idealistic projects like the Waterford/Tramore cycle lane which we can't afford. Local businesses should not be forced to close just because people in local government appear to know nothing about economics.

Maybe we need a state of emergency to be called in Waterford - we definitely need some help here.

padraig.od

sparkling sea wrote: »

You woud have to wonder if Geoff's would be the right business to spear head a war against rates??

Rates do have to be paid, but even just a small bit of reality wouldn't go amiss when calculating the amount a business can afford to pay.

Businesses who are on the brink of going bust because of the amount they are requested to pay in rates, should be exempt. Forcing business to fold does nothing to help our economy, we have less tax income, more jobseekers expenditure and more empty units that are neglected.

The emphasis should be on supporting businesses at this time and not engaging in idealistic projects like the Waterford/Tramore cycle lane which we can't afford. Local businesses should not be forced to close just because people in local government appear to know nothing about economics.

Maybe we need a state of emergency to be called in Waterford - we definitely need some help here.

That's silly. Rates are a known cost when you decide to start a business. Businesses who are about to go bust because of their rates bill is a failed economic entity. What about a similar business up the road, which has improved productivity, margins, customer services during the recession and is successfully paying the same rates? You're giving an undeserved competitive advantage to the failing business. Maybe the business can't afford his rates bill because the dude running it is a moron?

Having said that there should be a debate on rates, on what services the corporation/council provide and what a fair rate should be for all businesses, not one rate for a successful one and a different rate for an unsuccessful one.

We need a hero...

AdMMM

It sets a bad precedent for a highly profitable bar to get away with not paying rates. There are businesses (and many pubs) out there that are struggling but still pay their rates. This gives businesses like Geoffs a competitive advantage, not that Geoffs would actually invest this money in upgrading facilities but at least they have the option thanks to not paying rates and saving himself 16k.

Spadzy

Rates as far as i know are done on the square footage of the property of the building.
It’s ok if you have a very profitable business as geoffs is but if you are a struggling business they could be the cause of you having to close up your business.
Rates need to be reviewed and done on maybe profits and accounts of businesses instead of square footage of the buildings.
Geoffs is not too bad for rates as things go..........Shortts & crystal’s rates are close on 40k a year.....revolutions are around 22K and a rough guess on Masons id say 30-35k a year!!
You can rent Masons for €800 a week off the banks...........yet will have to pay rates of around €600 a week on it.
Its crazy!!!!!!!!!

Rant over!!

Deise_Davy

I think you are all missing the point here.

The reason for the sign in Geoff's window is what's the point in paying rates to a city council that is probably going to be abolished by Phil Hogan in the coming months.

henboy

Deise_Davy wrote: »

I think you are all missing the point here.

The reason for the sign in Geoff's window is what's the point in paying rates to a city council that is probably going to be abolished by Phil Hogan in the coming months.

Must be reading it wrong, I don't see anything about Phil Hogan on that sign. Don't think that was the reason in fairness .

Spadzy

Even if city council goes im sure the rates will still be there someway or another.

BlaasForRafa

Spadzy wrote: »

Even if city council goes im sure the rates will still be there someway or another.

If the city council does go though will city rates then end up subsidising towns and villages in the county?

AdMMM

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

If the city council does go though will city rates then end up subsidising towns and villages in the county?

Yes they will. That's one of the sore points as well of this merger because the City Council has been quite responsible with it's budget whereas the County hasn't.

Smiley Burnett

just a little pointer for ye----the LOWEST rates in the county are actually in Dungarvan......

jbwan

I can't believe that this thread is littered with negativity. Not negativity towards high rates, which IMHO are questionable considering nobody signs a contract to pay them in the first place when getting into business, but negativity towards a business that employs plenty of people and always has over the years. So what if it's a publicity thing? Slating the guy for a good idea to get people talking? He's in business, that's what it's about! If it works, people think about it, talk about it, go there, buy drinks and keep people employed. How is that a bad thing?

So many bitter in this world and very few of them bitter about the things that actually matter. Tis no wonder the country's in the state that it is...

old gregg

^ in the 48 posts before your "I can't believe that this thread is littered with negativity ...." diatribe there were maybe 4 or 5 opinions that might have been viewed as "negativity towards a business that employs plenty of people".
The rest have all been about rates in general.

Yes Boss

Smiley Burnett wrote: »

just a little pointer for ye----the LOWEST rates in the county are actually in Dungarvan......

Interestingly the majority of the rates gathered in the County come from Tramore (but unfortunately not reinvested in Tramore). This is one of the reasons why the City is not allowed to develop in a radial manner to include Tramore and Dunmore because Dungarvan would fall apart....

Smiley Burnett

Yes Boss wrote: »

Interestingly the majority of the rates gathered in the County come from Tramore (but unfortunately not reinvested in Tramore). This is one of the reasons why the City is not allowed to develop in a radial manner to include Tramore and Dunmore because Dungarvan would fall apart....

The reason for this is that Tramore Town Council isnt a rate-setting council...in other words, it isnt in control of it's own finances, whereas Dungarvan does have its own budget and sets its own rates/charges etc...

Instead of the people of Tramore seeking to have its council upgraded, it has sought to be included under the umbrella of Waterford City...

As a result of the recently-announced "reforms", neither Dungarvan or Tramore will have a Town Council of ANY description...

Best of luck to Tramore in their attempts to get finance and rates re-invested from City Hall.....

Sully

No doubt Dungarvan will remain well looked after anyway while Tramore suffers in the background.

Big Lar

Sully wrote: »

No doubt Dungarvan will remain well looked after anyway while Tramore suffers in the background.

Well could that be regarded as a tad spiteful ?

Sully

Big Lar wrote: »

Well could that be regarded as a tad spiteful ?

It could. But its an ongoing issue that is a bug bearer of mine. I really like Dungarvan, but its like most of the funding goes that direction than towards Tramore - a town that is struggling. Even the motor tax office moved to Dungarvan.

Big Lar

Well I'll have to agree the moving of the motor tax was sad, the should have the Tramore office opened a day a week at least, i was in the tax office a fortnight ago and a woman from dunmore east was refused entry at 3:05
i was also in the civic offices in Tramore a month or so ago and there was talks about closing the whole office then which would be a.great loss as it is a fine building.
Yet while in Tramore i couldn't see where Dungarvan was doing better apart from the motor tax office.
You'll have to explain.

Psychedelic

Waterford City Council haven't reduced commercial rates for 2013:
http://www.wlrfm.com/news-and-sport/waterford-news/169965.html
http://www.waterfordcity.ie/documents/reports/2013Budget.pdf

Shame considering Limerick and Dublin City Councils have managed to reduce rates (5% and 0.5% respectively). Rates in Galway City and I think Cork City remain unchanged.

mike65

The city manager was on WLR news telling us we should be glad rates have not gone up.