No Government decision on B&B property rates

The Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, has said he would have "very strong reservations" about the imposition of property rates on traditional bed-and-breakfast establishments.

A spokesman for Dr McDaid said that no Government decision had been taken on this aspect of the Valuation Bill.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Finance and Office of Public Works said the Minister of State for Finance, Mr Martin Cullen, who has responsibility for the Bill, was aware of the concerns. He attended a series of six public meetings throughout the State in June.

"It was a consultative process, and part of that was to take people's opinions and comments on board," she said. These would have included views on the question of including bed-and-breakfast businesses in the Bill, as well as on all other aspects of the Bill.

A spokesman for Dr McDaid said bed-and-breakfast houses had contributed enormously to the growth of Irish tourism over many years. "Earlier this year Minister McDaid had asked Bord Failte to prepare special initiatives for next year to assist the small bed-and-breakfast sector to meet the competitive challenges of today."

There would be little point, he said, in introducing special measures if the same businesses were to end up paying extra expenses such as rates.

Ms Eileen McDonagh, who represents the Irish Farmhouses Association, said the introduction of rates on B&Bs would be retrograde.