The Government has agreed with local authorities that they should agree to defer rate payments due from the most immediately impacted businesses for three months, until end-May.
The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government has said that this measure will be implemented by each local authority in its own area.
The businesses the government believes are in the most need of assistance are primarily in the retail, hospitality, leisure and childcare sectors.
Minister Eoghan Murphy said that while the identified types of businesses may be most impacted initially, local authorities are also conscious that there may be impacts on other categories of ratepayers as the impact of COVID-19 and responses evolve. They are monitoring the situation closely.
The help the local authorities take cope with the reduction in revenue taken through rates, the government is to provide local authorities with short-term cash flow supports.
Any commercial ratepayers that have had to temporarily close or significantly curtail operations during the COVID-19 response period should contact their local authority immediately in relation to any rate payments falling due in the period to end-May.
Ratepayers that can continue to pay their outstanding local authority rates should continue to do so in the normal way
For updated and factual Public Health information and advice on COVID-19 Coronavirus, please visit hse.ie/coronavirus or call 1800 700 700
For the latest information on the Covid-19 Vaccine Programme, please visit hse.ie/covid-19-vaccine
