Hoteliers want quicker rates review

The country’s hoteliers are willing to help fund a national review of commercial rates in order to speed up the process of revising them, according to the new president of the Irish Hotels Federation.

Paul Gallagher, who is general manager of Buswells Hotel in Dublin city centre, said that hotels and guesthouses paid 6 per cent of the state’s rates. He said this represented a charge of €90 million a year, or €1,500 a room.

Legislation introduced in 2001 requires the state Valuation Office to complete a national revision of rates.

However, because of manpower shortages at the Valuation Office, according to Gallagher, only two local authorities have completed rate reviews since then.

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