COMHAIRLE CONTAE FHINE GALL FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL BALBRIGGAN/RUSH-LUSK/SWORDS AREA COMMITTEE MEETING (Services B – Strategic & General Matters) THURSDAY 10th SEPTEMBER 2020
RATES ITEM NO. 14 Councillor B. Dennehy -
Rates for Wet Bars in Fingal - AI054633
“To ask the Chief Executive to outline the measures of supports available to businesses that are running wet bars where they serve alcohol and are not licensed to serve food in regard to support on payment of rates, bearing in mind many have not opened since earlier this year and uncertainty currently surrounds their future re-opening yet they could end up with a hefty rates bill if the current rates supports come to an end?”
Reply: Under the terms of the Government announcement on the 23rd July the initial 3 month waiver of commercial rates was extended for a further three month period to the 27th September. Therefore any eligible Rate Payers (including “Wet Bars”) now qualify for a six month waiver of their annual Commercial Rates for 2020, equating to a 50% reduction in the annual charge. This waiver will be applied to the individual rate payer’s account to reduce their liability. Fingal County Council is currently accepting applications for the Restart Plus Grant which was launched on the 10th August by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar, TD. Eligible businesses can make an application for the Restart Plus Grant via the online portal at https://fingalrestart.submit.com/ and full details of the qualifying criteria of the scheme are also available on the Fingal County Council website at www.fingal.ie/business. The closing date for applications is September 30, 2020. The grant, in most cases, will be the amount of the rates assessment for the premises for 2019 with a minimum grant of €4,000 and a maximum grant of €25,000 (or maximum of €15,000 for businesses that received the maximum €10,000 under the original Restart Grant Scheme). There is an additional grant of 40% of the Restart Grant Plus for pubs, bars and nightclubs that remain closed to help them to reopen.